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Equipment log for the CVC DC Sputterer
| 2009-9-30 | Cooling Water | Machine will be logged down until the power supply issue has been resolved. Aluminum target has been removed from the system. |
| 2009-9-28 | Sputter Gun | The copper target will be reinstalled tomorrow. |
| 2009-7-9 | Cooling Water | The power supply is functioning intermittently. The problem will be further investigated in the morning. |
| 2009-7-27 | Cooling Water | Hoist is not working. Relay is only getting 8 volts instead of 110-120V. Problem is being investigated. |
| 2009-7-22 | Cooling Water | The machine was logged down because a user reported problems. These will be further investigated tomorrow. |
| 2009-6-9 | Miscellaneous | A user tried to hoist the shutter while the tool was still venting. Please do not do this as it may cause damage to the position of the sensor which checks lid position. The staff repaired this particular problem which was caused by that particular action.
Please take care when venting this system. |
| 2009-6-29 | Cooling Water | Gun 3 will be taken out and cleaned tomorrow to ensure that the problems with high-impedance temperature-induced breakdown are resolved. It will be reinstalled. In the meantime, if users have any difficulties with gun 4, please contact the staff immediately. Also, if you notice that the 2 8" targets are not depositing properly, please promptly notify the staff.
Thank you. |
| 2009-6-15 | Information | The cleaning of the tooling is basically complete. The tests on the guns and other components are ongoing. Further work will be done tomorrow. |
| 2009-6-12 | Information | The DC Sputterer will be logged down Monday for maintenance. We will be
sand blasting the tooling, and we will try to address the problem with the
power in stations 3 and 4. Several users have reported problems with the
metal failing to deposit in these two stations.
|
| 2009-6-11 | Cooling Water |
The DC Sputterer will be logged down Monday for maintenance. We will be sand blasting the tooling, and we will try to address the problem with the power in stations 3 and 4. Several users have reported problems with the metal failing to deposit in these two stations. |
| 2009-6-10 | Cooling Water | If you experience a problem with deposition, please contact the staff. |
| 2009-5-7 | Cooling Water | A user reported that the system was not pumping down properly. Multiple staff members watched the tool pump down and it crossed over properly and pumped down into the -5 regime while being watched.
Please remember that the new mechanical / roughing pump is a scroll pump and it is NOT in the chase or isolated. It is sitting on the floor behind the tool so it will make a very loud noise for the first minute that it is pumping down. This is normal. |
| 2009-5-29 | Miscellaneous | Note that the 8" target was changed yesterday. |
| 2009-5-27 | Substrate Holder | After a user reported a problem yesterday with the system, it was found that all the internal parts of the system needed to be sandblasted. All the internal parts were removed and sandblasted. The machine has been reassembled.
If you experience any problem with the rotostrate or shutter rotation, please contact the staff immediately. |
| 2009-5-19 | Cooling Water | A user reported a problem with the shutter getting stuck. We have cleaned the edges of the chamber of metal build up and realigned the shutter. If the shutter gets stuck during your run, please abort the run and report it right way. If you continue to try to turn the shutter while it is stuck, the shutter motor will burn out. |
| 2009-4-7 | Cooling Water | Some arcing issues were reported with the 8" Al target. These issues are being investigated. Please look for an email later this evening discussing those issues. |
| 2009-4-30 | Cooling Water | The system was regenerated Tuesday night.
The Sputterer was logged down yesterday due to the power spike. The regeneration was completed this morning. We also ran test runs on the 8" Cu and Ti targets. The 8" Cu target had a large air leak in it. The target was cleaned and reassembled. We also noticed that the power connector inside the gun was loose. The test run with the Cu and Ti was successful.
We will be installing the 8" Al target in station 1 today. |
| 2009-4-20 | DC Power Supply | There have been issues with power fluctuations amongst other problems. These will be further investigated in the morning. |
| 2009-10-7 | Cooling Water | The Sputterer has been logged back up. The regeneration was completed early this afternoon. We ran several test
runs on the system to confirm that everything was working. Please report any issues right away. |
| 2009-10-6 | Cooling Water | There has been an air leak. The cryo pump obviously crashed. It has been roughed out and will be purging all night. |
| 2009-10-5 | Cooling Water | Large Air leak.
|
| 2009-10-1 | Cooling Water | The system is still arcing. The problem will be further investigated tomorrow. |
| 2007-9-28 | The 8" target has been changed from Titanium to Aluminum. It will be
changed back on Monday. |
| 2007-9-27 | The 8" Target will be changed from Titanium to Aluminum in the morning. |
| 2007-8-30 | Reminder | The 8" Aluminum target was changed to 8" Titanium this morning. The
Aluminum target will go back in on Monday. |
| 2007-8-23 | Reminder | The Titanium 8" target has been removed and replaced with the Aluminum 8"
target. The Titanium target will be reinstalled on Monday. |
| 2007-5-3 | Station 1 has been changed to aluminum for the weekend. |
| 2007-4-6 | The sputterer will be down over the weekend while the cryo-pump regenerates. |
| 2007-4-4 | Station 1 will be switched to the 8" Aluminum target in the morning. |
| 2007-4-20 | The 8" Al target will be in Station 1 until Monday morning. |
| 2007-4-2 | The target in station 1 was changed to Titanium this morning. |
| 2007-4-18 | A user has requested that the titanium target remain in station 1 until
tomorrow afternoon. Please contact Charlie if you will need the 8"
aluminum target tomorrow morning. |
| 2007-3-9 | Information | The 3" Al target is currently unavailable.
We will have a solution for this problem on
Monday. |
| 2007-3-7 | A user reported a problem with the 3 inch
target in station 3. Station 3 is available
again. The 8" Al target will be installed in
station tomorrow. |
| 2007-3-6 | This is a reminder that all the stations are available in the Sputterer.
Station 1 is currently set up for 8" Titanium. |
| 2007-3-29 | Station 1 8" target was changed to Al today.
It will be changed back to Ti on Monday. |
| 2007-3-26 | Station 4 was reinstalled today.
The 8" Ti target is currently in Station 1.
|
| 2007-3-13 | A 100% Aluminum 3" target is now available for the tool. |
| 2007-2-6 | Gun 3 is still down due to a problem with the cooling water. |
| 2007-2-23 | Sputter Gun | A user reported a problem with the 3" Al target late yesterday evening.
The threads on the target were worn out, causing the screw to pop out.
Another user reported a problem with the W target. Due to the weight of
the target, and the strength of the magnet, the keeper on the back of the
target de-bonded.
We ran several 2-minute test runs and a few 10-minute test runs to test
the cooling capability of the guns. They are able to cool properly. |
| 2007-2-2 | Reminder | A few users have reported a problem with
Station 3. We have found that users are
not cleaning the paste off of the targets
before putting them away. A new coat of
paste must be applied to each target before
the run. Debris collects on the paste left on
the targets. This debris is then stuck on the
gun which causes arcing. |
| 2007-2-1 | Reminder | Target #1 (8") has been changed to Al.
Please remember to balance the rotostrate before running the machine.
Otherwise you will not be able to perform your run. |
| 2007-11-6 | The 8" target was changed from Aluminum to Titanium today. It will be
changed back on Friday. The 8" Copper target had been sputtered thru. We
have replaced the target but are currently solving a pump down problem.
The system should be back up by late afternoon. |
| 2007-11-26 | The 8" Target was changed from Aluminum to Titanium today. It will be
changed back to Titanium on Thursday. |
| 2007-11-14 | The DC Sputterer is back up and pumping down. If you notice that the
machine is not pumping down, please let a staff member know immediately. |
| 2007-10-8 | The 8" target has been changed from Aluminum to Titanium. It will be
changed back on Thursday.
A user noticed a problem with the machine not pumping down. If you try to
pump down and the machine says it is not closed, simply hoist it up a
little, then all the way back down and it will work. If it does not,
please let a staff member know immediately. |
| 2007-10-30 | The Al 1%Si target has been misplaced. If you happen to know where the
target is, please let a staff member know. If you happen to find it,
please place it back on top of the DC Sputterer. Thank you for your help. |
| 2007-10-29 | The 8" Target has been changed from Aluminum to Titanium. It will be
changed back on Thursday. |
| 2007-10-26 | Yesterday, the 8" target was changed from Titanium to Aluminum. It will be
changed back on Monday. |
| 2007-10-18 | The 8" target was changed from Titanium to
Aluminum this morning. It will be changed
back to Titanium on Monday. |
| 2007-10-11 | The 8" target has been changed from Titanium to Aluminum today. It will be
changed back to Titanium on Monday. |
| 2007-10-10 | The 8" Titanium target will be in until tomorrow morning. We will then
change it out and put the 8" Aluminum target in. |
| 2007-10-1 | The 8" target has been changed from Aluminum to Titanium. It will be
changed back to Aluminum on Thursday. |
| 2007-1-9 | Information | The gold target will not be
available until tomorrow on the
CVC DC sputterer. |
| 2007-1-5 | Information | The shield for the image cover target has
been installed. The cryopump crashed
yesterday evening, and the regeneration
process was completed this afternoon.
We ran several test runs on the system and
several on a tungsten target. The tungsten
target is now available for any users who
need it. |
| 2007-1-4 | Information | Starting today, January 4th, we will be on
our normal schedule for the 8 inch targets.
Thursdays to Mondays, Aluminum will be in
station 1. Mondays through Thursdays,
Titanium will be in station 1. |
| 2007-1-30 | Miscellaneous | Please remember that the 8" target in
station one is changed every Monday and
Thursday. On Monday it is changed to
Titanium, and on Thursdays it is changed to
Aluminum. |
| 2007-1-26 | Miscellaneous | The gold target will be available Monday.
Remember to record your run. Also, there
are dates below the Station 3 & 4 magnets.
These are the dates that we will be cleaning
the guns, and once they are clean we will
be replacing the stickers. If you see that it
is after that date, please remind a staff
member. If the guns are not cleaned and
you use them after those dates, it could
damage the system. |
| 2007-1-25 | Sputter Gun | The gold target is not available. The magnet on the sputterer gun cracked
and had to be replaced. |
| 2007-1-23 | Cryo Pump Regeneration | The system was regenerated earlier this
afternoon. Please remember to choose 'No'
when prompted to exit PAL. |
| 2007-1-12 | Information | The iron target test run today was a success. If any users are interested
in the iron target, please contact Charlie at cs176@mail.gatech.edu. |
| 2007-1-11 | Information | We attempted to run a test with an iron
target in the sputtering gun. We discovered
that with the current guns, it is almost
impossible to run iron in our DC Sputtering
system. However, we will be attempting a
different method tomorrow and hope to see
good results. |
| 2006-9-8 | Stations 3 and 4 will be down for the weekend.
Stations 1 and 2 will still be available. |
| 2006-9-7 | The gun for station 3 has been installed into
the system. We ran several test runs on it,
and the test runs were successful. Station
3 is now available for use. |
| 2006-9-6 | Sputter Gun | Station 3 has been reinstalled. We discovered that there was a problem
with the internal workings of the gun, which caused the gold target to
become unbound to the backing plate. The gun has been repaired and
reinstalled, and it is now available. |
| 2006-9-29 | A user reported a problem with station 3.
We ran several test runs this afternoon and
station 3 is working. All users please
remember to apply enough conductive
paste. There are two pictures next to the
machine that show exactly how much paste
to apply. |
| 2006-9-28 | Station 3 is available again. If you have any problems, please notify staff. |
| 2006-9-27 | Station 1 will be changed back to aluminum tomorrow. A user reported that
pumpdown was taking a long time. We ran some test runs and found that
the average pumpdown time is 20 minutes. |
| 2006-9-22 | Station 1 was changed to the 8" Aluminum target this morning. The small
3" aluminum target is currently unavailable |
| 2006-9-21 | Information | Due to the large demand for titanium today, we deviated from the normal
schedule. The aluminum target will be installed tomorrow morning. |
| 2006-9-14 | Information | All stations are now available on the system. We want to thank all of the
users for their patience. Several test runs have been made on all of the
guns.
Please be sure to put enough conductive paste on the back of the targets.
There is a picture on the machine on exactly how much you need to put on.
Feel free to contact the staff if you are still not sure. |
| 2006-9-13 | Station 4 is still down due to a problem with
the gun. We will continue to run our test
runs tomorrow morning. We hope to have
it up and running by tomorrow afternoon. |
| 2006-6-29 | Information | Station 1 will be changed to the 8" Al target
tomorrow morning. Several users needed
to use the target today, so we left it in there. |
| 2006-6-26 | Information | Station 1 has been changed to the Ti
target. The Al Target will be reinstalled on
Thursday. |
| 2006-6-15 | Sputter Gun | The 8" Al target was installed this morning.
It will be changed out on Monday morning. |
| 2006-6-12 | Information | A chart has been posted on the DC
Sputterer listing the rates of common
materials run in the system. If any
information on the chart is unclear, please
contact the staff.
Please remember to check underneath the
chamber lid to make sure the area is clear
before hoisting the chamber down. |
| 2006-5-5 | Information | All Sputterer users must check to make
sure that the target they are using was
installed correctly. Even if you did not
install the target, you still have to make
sure it was installed correctly. |
| 2006-5-31 | Information | It has been brought to our attention that
Station 4 is not working. Please remember
to report problems such as malfunctioning
sputterring guns on the pettit request.
A user reported that the Platinum target has
Sputterered through. A new target will not
be available until tomorrow. |
| 2006-5-30 | Information | Several users reported a software problem
over the weekend. The problem has been
resolved.
The gold target will be unavailable until late
tomorrow morning. |
| 2006-5-3 | Information | The 3" Al target is now available inside the
cleanroom. It was removed last week due
to the keeper coming off. |
| 2006-5-24 | Information | Several users have reported problems with
the pumpdown time over the last few days.
The compressor was recharged on Monday.
The cryopump temperature was lowered.
As a result, the pump down times have
been cut in half. |
| 2006-5-16 | Information | A new 8" Cu target has been installed in
station 2. The 8" Al target is still in station
1. If any users experience any problems
while using the Cu target, please contact
Charlie immediately.
We are aware of the pump down problem a
few users have been experiencing on the
system. We will continue to work on this
problem over the next few days. |
| 2006-5-15 | Information | The 8" Cu will be unvailable until tomorrow
morning. For now Station 1 has 8" Al and
Station 2 has the 8" Cu.
We will also be posting deposition rates for
some of the most common used materials
on the machine. |
| 2006-5-12 | Reminder | This is a reminder to all Sputterer users.
The 8" Al target was installed on Thursday.
The Ti target will be reinstalled on Monday. |
| 2006-4-5 | Information | The spare 8" Cu target was shipped out
today. We expect it to arrive tomorrow
morning at around 10am. It will take us a
couple of hours to reassemble the 8" gun
assembly and to test it the gun out. Once
our tests are complete, we will allow users
to use the target. The Ti target will be
taken out of the system at that time. |
| 2006-4-4 | Information | A user reported a problem with station 4.
We found that the gun was arcing during the
process. We ran a few test runs after
swapping out the target a few times. The
system appears to be working. |
| 2006-4-3 | Information | Due to the unavailability of the 8" Cu target,
the 8" Ti target has been installed in station
2. Currently, both 8" Al and 8" Cu targets
are available. |
| 2006-4-28 | Information | The DC Sputterer finished regenerating
early this afternoon. The system was
logged back up. |
| 2006-4-27 | Information | The sputterer was logged down due to a
problem with the cryopump again. We are
not sure how exactly it failed this time. We
are still investigating the problem. The
system will be down until tomorrow morning. |
| 2006-4-24 | Information | The Sputterer is still cooling down. We
expect the cryopump to be completely
regenerated later this evening. If any
users wish to use the system late this
evening, please contact Charlie at 404-925-
2047. Please make sure that the cryopump
temperature is at 20 K or less. |
| 2006-4-19 | Information | A user reported a problem with the pump
down early this afternoon. The system was
logged down while we investigated the
problem. We discovered that there was a
leak in station 4. The problem was
resolved, and the system was logged back
up. |
| 2006-3-9 | Information | The 8" Ti target was taken out and the Al
target was installed this morning. The Ti
target will be reinstalled Monday Morning at
8am. |
| 2006-3-7 | Information | Several users have reported problems with
the pumpdown time. We believe that there
is a small leak in the new Cu target. We
believe an adjustment to the Cu target
assembly needs to be made to resolve this
problem. We will be making pumpdown
test runs tomorrow morning.
The second option would be to perform a
regeneration. We hope that this is not the
case. An email will be sent out to all DC
Sputterer users to inform them of our
results and the next course of action. |
| 2006-3-6 | Information | The 8" Ti target was installed this morning.
We also noticed that the 8" Cu target had
sputtered through during the weekend. The
spent Cu target has been taken out. We
will reinstall it tomorrow morning.
Several users reported problems with the
shutter and rotostrate over the weekend.
The shutters have been sand blasted and
reintalled.
The rotostrate was not working due to a
problem with it not being centered
correctly. One of the screws holding it in
place was missing. A new screw has been
installed. We recommend all users to test
the rotostrate to see if it is working properly
before hoisting the chamber down. |
| 2006-3-31 | Sputter Gun | The 8" Cu target is currently unavailable.
The target is about to be sputtered
through. We expect the replacement target
to be in sometime early next week. |
| 2006-3-28 | Information | Due to the cleanroom being closed last
week, we have given the 8" Al target users
an extra day. The titanium target will be
installed tomorrow morning. |
| 2006-3-28 | The 8" Ti target was installed this morning.
We are not back to our regular schedule for
swapping out the targets. The next target
change will take place Thursday morning. |
| 2006-3-21 | Information | Please remember to apply paste to all
targets you put in the system. This will
ensure that the there is good continuity
between the gun and the target. This will
also prevent the target from over heating.
Over heating will cause the Indium Bonding
on some of the targets to melt and de-bond. |
| 2006-3-2 | Information | The 8" Ti target was taken out, and the 8"
Al target was installed in station 1. The Ti
target will be reinstalled into station 1 on
Monday at 8am. |
| 2006-3-17 | Information | Station 4 is available again. We ran a test
run on the gun this morning. We found that
the gun works. Please be sure to install the
targets in correctly.
Just another reminder that the 8" Ti target
will be installed on Monday Morning. |
| 2006-3-16 | Information | A user reported an arcing problem this
morning on Station 4. This problem is
indicated when the power supply makes
beeping and clicking noises. If any unusual
noises happen while the system is running,
users must stop running their process, and
they must notify the staff.
|
| 2006-3-14 | Information | The modifications to the gold target were
completed this afternoon. The gold target is
now available again. Please be sure to
install the target correctly. Users need to
remember that the gold is a soft metal. If
you drop the target, it can warp.
A few users were asking about the Barium
Titanate target. The target was delivered
today. It is currently in a storaget area. If
you need the target, please contact Charlie
via email at cs176@mail.gatech.edu |
| 2006-3-13 | Information | The 8" Al target was taken out this morning,
and it was replaced with the 8" Ti target.
The Al target will be reinstalled Thursday
morning.
Several users have been asking about the
3" gold target. The target was damaged
over the weekend. We are planning to
modify the target tomorrow, and it will be
put back into circulation.
Please remember to make sure that the
target has been installed properly. All
evidence shows that the target was
incorrectly installed, this caused the target
to arc and debond the backing plate from
the gold target. |
| 2006-3-1 | Sputter Gun | Station 3 in the DC Sputterer has been
reinstalled. Please remember to install the
targets in correctly. If you find that the
system is arcing, please do not try to
continue to use the system. Please inform
that staff immediately. Also, the average
time for the system to pump down to
operating pressure is 20 min. |
| 2006-2-9 | Reminder | The 8" Titanium Target was removed early
this morning. The 8" Al target was installed
into station 1. The schedule for the 8"
targets are as follows:
Monday-Wednesday 8" Ti
Thursday-Sunday 8" Al |
| 2006-2-8 | Information | There is a tantalum target available for the
DC Sputterer System. It is located in the
drawer on top of the DC Sputterer. |
| 2006-2-7 | Information | Please remember to pump the chamber
down before logging out of the system.
Please be sure to stay until the ion gauge
comes one before leaving. |
| 2006-2-1 | Information | The 8" Al target will be installed tomorrow
morning in station 1. We would like to
remind all users that we do have a
Tungsten and Molybdenum target available
for DC Sputterer System. |
| 2006-12-4 | Information | The titanium target is installed in station 1. Station 2 has been removed
from the system because the copper has sputtered through. A new copper
target will be installed tomorrow morning. |
| 2006-11-8 | Sputter Gun | Station 2 will be changed to aluminum tomorrow morning. If you wish to
use the titanium target tomorrow morning, contact Charlie tonight, and he
will leave it in station 2 longer in the morning. |
| 2006-11-30 | A user lowered the lid onto an allen wrench and began pumping down the
system. PLEASE be SURE the area is clear before hoisting the lid down. |
| 2006-11-3 | Sputter Gun | The gun in station 3 has been removed from the DC Sputterer. The gun will
be reinstalled on Monday. |
| 2006-11-2 | All guns are now available. Please remember to apply silver paste to all
3" targets. We have a tin target that will be available tomorrow afternoon. |
| 2006-11-14 | We checked on the status of the gold target and expect delivery of the
target by Friday. If it arrives sooner, we will email all users. |
| 2006-11-13 | The regeneration of the cryopump was completed over the weekend. A user
reported that the gold target was spent over the weekend. The consumption
of gold has been higher than expected, the new gold target will not be
here until the end of the week. |
| 2006-11-10 | Information | The DC Sputterer will be unavailable until tomorrow morning. |
| 2006-10-5 | Station 4 is now available. We ran test runs
this afternoon and they turned out well. |
| 2006-10-4 | Cryo Pump Regeneration | The regeneration was completed this morning. If you have any problems,
report them right away. |
| 2006-10-3 | Cryo Pump Regeneration | The cryo pump will be regenerated tonight, so this tool will be
unavailable until tomorrow morning. |
| 2006-10-27 | Station 4 will not be available this weekend |
| 2006-10-23 | Sputter Gun | Station 3 is currently unavailable. A user
reported a problem with the gun earlier this
afternoon. We will be conducting test runs
on the gun tomorrow morning. |
| 2006-10-2 | Station 1 now has a titanium target. |
| 2006-10-19 | The 8" Al target has been installed into
station 1. The 8" Ti target will be reinstalled
on Monday. 3" Ti targets are available, and
their deposition rate is posted on the side of
the machine. |
| 2006-10-18 | Sputter Gun | On stations 3 and 4, remember to leave a target in the gun after your run
so that fragments will not get in the gun and cause a short. |
| 2006-10-13 | 8" Copper target will be replaced this afternoon at 5pm. |
| 2006-10-11 | Sputter Gun | A user reported a problem with guns 3 and 4 shorting. Any users who use
station 3 or 4 must leave a target in the gun after their run. This is
because if the gun is left empty, metal fragments from the shutter will be
drawn towards the gun and cause a short. If anyone desires a more
detailed explanation, please contact Charlie at cs176@mail.gatech.edu. |
| 2006-10-10 | The tool is up and running. We sandblasted all the tooling. User
reported problems with stations 3 and 4 over the weekend. The contacts
for these stations were cleaned over the weekend and they no longer show
up as being shorted. Pumpdown time should be 15 to 20 minutes; anytime
longer than that users should report to staff. |
| 2006-1-26 | Reminder | Due to a special request, the 8" Titanium
target was left in today. The 8" Al target
will be installed tomorrow morning. |
| 2005-9-29 | Information | The 8" Al target will be replaced tomorrow
morning. An email will be sent to all
Sputterer users when the target is available.
A new Ti and Cr target have been put into
circulation. Please start using these targets
when you need to deposit that material.
|
| 2005-9-28 | Information | We will be posting the deposition rates for
the metals on the website. As soon as the
information is available, we will send an
email out to all DC Sputterer users. |
| 2005-9-27 | Information | We will be reserving some time in the next
few days to sand blast the tooling. We
believe this is contributing to the problem
with the Al. |
| 2005-9-26 | Information | A user reported a problem with the 8" Al
target. We ran a few test runs this
afternoon. The problem happens when 8"
target is used for over 30 mins. |
| 2005-9-20 | Poor Process Results | A user reported a problem with the Al target
after depositing approximately 1 um. We
will be running test runs on the system
tomorrow. If the Al continues to cause
flaking at that thickness, we will change out
the target.
|
| 2005-9-16 | Information | We are currently performing deposition rate
test runs on some of the metals in the
system. These rates will be available to all
users. |
| 2005-8-19 | Information | A majority of the tooling for the DC
Sputterer has been sand blasted. The rest
of the tooling will be cleaned on Monday. |
| 2005-8-18 | Information | We plan to sand blast the tooling for the
system on Monday. |
| 2005-8-17 | Information | The DC Sputterer will be logged down
sometime within the next few days to have
it's components sand blasted. |
| 2005-7-6 | A cleanroom user reported that the pump
down time for the DC Sputterer was
extraodinarily long. Several test runs have
showed the system taking at least an hour
to reach suitable pressures. Further
investigation and actions are being taken to
remedy this problem. |
| 2005-7-25 | A cleanroom user reported that the Copper
on station 2 had been sputtered through.
The Copper target was replaced and the
system was regenerated and once again
ready for cleanroom processing. |
| 2005-7-21 | A cleanroom user reported that the copper
target was completely sputtered through
today. We will be replacing the target first
thing tomorrow morning. |
| 2005-7-12 | The DC Sputterer underwent a complete
regeneration today and is once again up
and running. Please still take note on the
pump down times and report and
abnormalities to MiRC Staff. |
| 2005-7-11 | Vacuum Poor | Staff is currently addressing the pump down
problems that are occuring on the DC
Sputterer. Various O-rings and seals have
already been replaced, however additional
testing will have to occur before we can
verify whether or not the system is once
again fully operational. |
| 2005-6-7 | Please be careful in handling the targets for the DC Sputterer. If you
happen to drop a target notify staff immediately and do not attempt to
use the target. |
| 2005-6-3 | Today, all the tooling was removed and cleaned. The system will be
logged back up once the tooling is reinstalled. |
| 2005-6-29 | If you experience any lengthy pump down times while using this system
please notify staff. We are still attempting to locate the possible leak
or problem with this system. |
| 2005-6-27 | A noticable leak has been detected in the DC Sputterer, which has been
causing such long pumpdown times. The system will be brought down first
thing tomorrow morning to have this problem resolved. |
| 2005-6-20 | We have successfully finished burning in the new 8" Al target. Test runs
have been made and Station 1 is once again ready for cleanroom
processing. |
| 2005-6-2 | The DC Sputterer has been scheduled by staff from 1-5pm so that the
toolaing can be removed, sandblasted, cleaned, and reinstalled. |
| 2005-6-16 | We are still having problems with station 1. We experienced some arcing
during our test run. We also found a small leak in the target. We will
send the target over to the machine shop to be repaired. Then we will
hopefully perform another test run in the afternoon to try to resolve
the arcing. |
| 2005-6-15 | Sputter Gun | Station one will be installed tomorrow morning. We had some problems
assembling the new target. After we make some test runs, we will
notifiy all DC Sputterer users on when station 1 is ready. |
| 2005-6-13 | Information | The gold target was about to be sputtered through. A new target is now
available. Please remember to check all targets before you use them.
Make sure that there is plenty of material left. Please ask a staff
member if you are not sure. |
| 2005-5-19 | Station 4 for the DC Sputterer is having its target replaced. Look for a
future email notifying you of when this station will become available
once again. |
| 2005-5-12 | The DC Sputterer will be logged down on Monday. We have scheduled some
down time to clean the tooling in the system. Another reminder will be
sent out tomorrow. |
| 2005-5-10 | The current process pressure on the DC sputterer is set to 2.0x10^-5. Users
are encouraged to contact Charlie Suh if they would like more information
on how to further improve film uniformity. |
| 2005-4-8 | Deposition rate testing will be run next week. Chris was volunteered to
make these runs, so if there are any materials that you would be
interested in knowing an up-to-date deposition rate on please email him
at gte921u. |
| 2005-4-4 | Over the weekend several cleanroom users reported a water interlock
problem with the DC Sputterer. After some minor adjustments were made to
a flow sensor and test runs were made the system is once again ready for
cleanroom use. |
| 2005-4-27 | The new gold target is now available for cleanroom use. If you wish to
check it out please talk to Charlie, Vinny, or Gary. |
| 2005-4-26 | A cleanroom user reported that the gold target shorted with the shielding
when they were attempting to use Station 3. After careful investigation
we found that the gold target's button screw was stripping the old target
causing the back to come in contact with the shield. We have replaced
the old gold target with a new one, which is now available for use. |
| 2005-4-20 | A user reported a problem with one of the targets. Please remember if
any issues arise involving either installing the target or a
malfunctioning target contact MiRC Staff, do not attempt to continue to
run the system. |
| 2005-4-19 | A cleanroom user reported that the gold target was causing a short in
Station 3. Staff found that the button on the back of the target had come
loose creating a shift in the target position once installed. Be sure to
check these buttons before installing the target. |
| 2005-4-18 | Over the weekend a cleanroom user reported that their process had aborted
due to a water interlock error. It seems that a water sensor had gone
out of compliance. The sensor has been readjusted and the system was
returned to normal operating conditions. If you notice any additional
problems with the system please contact MiRC Staff. |
| 2005-4-15 | From now on if you need to use the Gold of Platinum target you must talk
to Gary, Vinny, or Charlie. |
| 2005-4-12 | From now on you will only be allowed to load the Gold target into Station
3 of the DC Sputterer. If you have any questions or concerns regarding
this matter please contact MiRC Staff. |
| 2005-4-11 | The tooling for the DC Sputterer has been cleaned and reinstalled into
the system. As per request of a user the heater's cover was cleaned and
replaced, making the heating unit available for use once again.
As Vinny's email stated, if you are to be using Gold with any other
combination of metal please load the Gold target in Station 3. |
| 2005-3-9 | All DC Sputterer users should excercise extreme caution when handling and
replacing targets for the sputterer system. |
| 2005-3-31 | The CVC DC Sputterer has had its Station 2 reinstalled and tested. After
addressing a vacuum problem that was encountered the station was
successfully installed and now users are able to use the new copper
target from Station 2. |
| 2005-3-23 | All the tooling for the DC sputterer has been cleaned and reinstalled
today. The cleaning of these pieces fixed the arcing problem that was
occuring in station 1. The issues in station 4 have also been
addressed. If you still however, have any reservations about the proper
installation of targets please contact Charlie Suh. |
| 2005-3-22 | An email was sent out earlier today notifying users that the system will
be down until 10am tomorrow at the earliest. |
| 2005-3-10 | Correct procedures for installing a sputterer target is expected from
every user. If either the target, the station, or the sputtering gun is
damaged due to improper target installation you will be suspended from
the system. |
| 2005-3-1 | Users are still allowed to use the gold target for sputtering assuming
each user is able to properly change and mount the target. If you wish
to use the gold target you will have to speak with Charlie Suh. |
| 2005-2-9 | We are notifying cleanroom users that the gold target will be unavailable
until next Wednesday. Once the new target arrives we will send out an
email notifying DC sputterer users of its arrival. |
| 2005-2-8 | Early today a cleanroom user reported a leak in the DC Sputterer. The
leak occured sometime last night, however was not reported till this
morning. A bad water sensor was found to be the source of the leak. The
sensor was replaced and the system is once again restored to standard
operating standards. |
| 2005-2-17 | The gold target is now available for cleanroom use. Please take note
that the new target has a copper backing plate. And as before if you
need to use the target please check it out from any of the staff members. |
| 2005-2-10 | Today MiRC Staff noticed that sputtering station 2 was leaking. The leak
was detected and fixed. If anyone has any additional problems with this
system please contact MiRC Staff. |
| 2005-12-9 | Information | A user reported a problem with station 3.
The gun has been removed and the station
has been blanked off. A new gun will be
installed tomorrow. |
| 2005-12-22 | Information | There are currently no users who have
signed up to use the 8" Al target tomorrow.
We will leave the 8" Titanium in. When we
reopen, we will go back to a regular
schedule of swapping out the targets. |
| 2005-12-19 | Information | The cryopump failed over the weekend.
There seems to be a problem with the
compressor. We will try to repair the
problem tomorrow morning. For now, the
system will be logged down. |
| 2005-11-11 | Information | The tungsten target is available to all DC
Sputterer users. We will be running
thickness test runs tomorrow. |
| 2005-10-5 | Information | We are still conducting test runs on the Al.
Another test run will occur tomorrow
morning. We hope to resolve the problem
before the end of tomorrow.
|
| 2005-10-4 | Information | We currently running a few test runs on the
8" Al target. The new target also has a
problem with flaking after long deposition
runs. We will be performing a few more
test runs on the Al Target tomorrow. |
| 2005-10-11 | Information | A new silver target has been put into
circulation. A new titanium and chromium
target have also been put into the storage
boxes located on top of the DC Sputterer. |
| 2005-10-10 | Information | An email will be sent to all DC Sputterer
users on the deposition rates for the most
common materials used in the DC
Sputterer. The same information will be
posted online.
The system will be logged down sometime
this week for maintenance. The tooling
inside the chamber needs to be sand
blasted. |
| 2005-1-28 | A cleanroom user reported that the rotostrate would not turn properly. We
have made some adjustments to the set screw, and the system is now
functioning correctly. Please report any other problems you have to an
MiRC cleanroom staff member. |
| 2005-1-14 | Information | Today, the DC Sputterer had its copper target changed out. Test runs were
performed to prove that the system is working properly. |
| 2005-1-13 | We have scheduled time tomorrow morning to change out the 8" Copper
target. |
| 2005-1-10 | Cryo Pump Regeneration | This past weekend a cleanroom user reported that the DC Sputterer would
not pump down. We came to find out that the Cryo-pump had crashed. The
Cryo-pump has been regenerated and the system is now back up for
cleanroom use. |
| 2004-12-9 | Yesterday, a cleanroom user reported excessive pump down time. We have
removed and sandblasted the tooling for this system. We are currently
running a pump down test on the system. |
| 2004-12-8 | Miscellaneous | A cleanroom user reported that the system took over an hour to pump down.
We will look into this problem tomorrow.
Please remember to correctly apply the thermal paste to all targets
before installing them onto the system. We have placed pictures near the
target drawer organizer showing the proper method. If you do not use the
paste, then you will damage the sputter gun. |
| 2004-12-7 | Before you run this system, check the target to make sure that it is not
sputtered through or close to becoming sputtered through. If you find a
target that needs to be replaced, please notify an MiRC technical staff
member. |
| 2004-12-17 | We have replaced the o-ring on this system, and the DC Sputterer now
pumps down to processing pressure in 30 minutes. If you have any
problems, please notify a cleanroom staff member. |
| 2004-12-10 | We are currently in the process of installing the shield for the copper
target. The DC Sputterer will be available for use again later this
evening. |
| 2004-11-30 | Information | The new gold target arrived today. Users may now use the gold target once
again. If you notice that the target is getting close to being sputtered
through, please notify a technical staff member. |
| 2004-11-29 | Information | The gold target will arive within the next few days. We will notify users
when it is available. We apologize for any inconvenience. |
| 2004-11-23 | Reminder | Reminder: The gold target has been sputtered through. The new target
will not arrive until next week. We will send out an e-mail to users
when the gold target is available again. |
| 2004-11-22 | Miscellaneous | A cleanroom user reported a problem with the station 3 sputtering gun. We
removed the station, made some adjustments, and re-installed it onto the
system. Station 3 is now functioning correctly once again. A cleanroom
user also reported that the shutter would not move properly. We have
sandblasted and cleaned the shutter parts, and re-installed them back
onto the system. The shutter is now operational. Please report any other
issues you have with this system to a cleanroom technical staff member.
The gold target has been sputtered through. The new target will not
arrive until next week. We apologize for the inconvenience. |
| 2004-11-19 | Reminder | Before you begin using this system, make sure that the target you will be
using has not been sputtered through (or is not close to being sputtered
through), and check the target for shorts. If you are unsure about how
close a target is to being sputtered through, do not hesitate to ask a
staff member. |
| 2004-11-18 | Miscellaneous | Several days ago, a cleanroom user reported receiving unsatisfactory
results while depositing aluminum with the 8" target. The cleanroom user
who performed the test run last night reported receiving successful
results. If you have any issues with the aluminum target, please notify
an MiRC cleanroom staff member. |
| 2004-11-17 | Information | A cleanroom user reported receiving unsatisfactory results while
depositing aluminum. Tonight, a user from Dr. Hesketh's group will run a
test run using the aluminum target. If you have any further issues or
questions about this system, please contact an MiRC cleanroom staff
member. |
| 2004-11-16 | Sputter Gun | Station 4: A cleanroom user reported that the magnet on the sputtering
gun was not strong enough; the magnet had been weakened by overheating.
We have replaced the magnet, and the system is back up for use. Please do
not forget to apply thermal paste to each target before installing it
onto the gun. |
| 2004-11-10 | Information | While using stations 3 and 4, several users have reported hearing loud
clicking/beeping sounds during the cleaning phase. If you hear an
unusual, loud clicking or beeping noise while using this system, stop
running the machine. This indicates a short in the system. If you
experience this problem, please contact Charlie Suh. |
| 2004-11-1 | Sputter Gun | Station 3 will be temporarily unavailable until either late this evening
or early tomorrow morning. The sputter gun needs to be replaced due to a
water leak. We will send out an e-mail when this station is available for
use again. |
| 2004-10-7 | Miscellaneous | The DC Sputterer is still down as we continue to investigate the problem
with the pressure gauge. If any progress is made later in the evening, we
will send out an e-mail updating users on the status of this machine. |
| 2004-10-6 | Information | Earlier today, the pressure controller was not working properly. We have
replaced the controller, and are currently running test runs on the
system. The preliminary tests produced positive results, and we expect
the system to be back up in the early evening. We will send out an e-mail. |
| 2004-10-29 | Sputter Gun | We have replaced the sputtering gun on station 3 after a user reported a
problem with the gun shorting out. We ran a few tests and confirmed that
the gun is sputtering properly.
The 8" copper target has been reinstalled in station 2. It is now
available for use. |
| 2004-10-28 | Information | We expect the copper target to arrive in the late afternoon tomorrow. It
will be available for use around 3-4 PM. |
| 2004-10-27 | Reminder | The 8" copper target has been sputtered through. The copper target will
be unavailable until Friday. Reminder: Cleanroom users should check the
state of the sputterer targets each time you use one. If you notice that
a target is close to sputtering through, please notify a cleanroom staff
member. |
| 2004-10-25 | Information | The gold target arrived today, and is available to users now. Please note:
from now on, users will only be permitted to use 5000A of gold per run. If
you have any questions, please contact a cleanroom staff member. |
| 2004-10-22 | Miscellaneous | We expect the gold target to arrive on Monday. After we receive it, we
will take it to the machine shop to get the hole for the keeper drilled.
We are hoping that the gold target will be available to users by Monday
evening. |
| 2004-10-15 | Information | The gold target will not be here until next week. We will send out an e-
mail when it becomes available. |
| 2004-10-13 | Information | Reminder: The gold target is temporarily unavailable. We expect the new
target to arrive sometime next week. We will let users know when the new
target is here and ready for use. |
| 2004-10-12 | Miscellaneous | A cleanroom user reported that the system would not pump down properly.
We inspected the system, and found that someone had stepped on the power
cable for the pump behind the machine, disconnecting the plug. We have
locked the plug into place so that this will not happen again; however,
please be careful when you go behind the machines. |
| 2000-4-3 | Cryo Pump Regeneration | This morning we found that the cryo pump had overheated. This probably occurred due to excessive air being allowed into the pump either due to a leak or due to a user opening the chamber before venting it. We have regenerated the pump and the sputterer is working now. |
| 2000-3-31 | Vacuum Leak | The vacuum leak problem the DC sputterer was experiencing yesterday has been resolved. The sputterer is pumping properly now. |
| 2000-3-30 | Vacuum Leak | We found that the cryo pump pressure and temperature were rising when the chamber was being roughed out. The foreline valve was leaking air back into the cryo pump when the chamber was pumping down. We removed the valve and found a black material built up in the valve. The valve has been cleaned and reinstalled. The cryo pump is being regenerated now. We hope to have the system operational tomorrow morning. |
| 2000-3-29 | Sputter Gun | Late this afternoon we discovered steam coming from the top of the station 2 sputter gun and severe arcing under the gun cover. We turned off the power to all equipment in the metallization bay. The gun overheated causing the aluminum target to debond from the backing plate and four water lines in the top of the gun. We will be investigating this problem further tomorrow. The sputterer will be down until sometime tomorrow morning. We have a spare aluminum target that we will be testing tomorrow morning. |
| 2000-3-22 | Substrate Holder | The rotostrate was not turning this morning. We found that the coupling that connects the rotostrate to the drive shaft was loose. This problem has been fixed. |
| 2000-3-16 | Information | We have changed the 8" target to aluminum. |
| 2000-3-10 | Cryo Pump Regeneration | We performed a long purge on the cryo pump and restarted it. |
| 2000-2-9 | Information | The aluminum 8" target has been installed. A user reported a problem with the access control system. We determined that it had been disconnected late yesterday. It is working properly now. |
| 2000-2-7 | Information | We have installed a new access control system on the sputterer. All users must use their Buzz Cards to access the system. |
| 2000-2-5 | Sputter Gun |
Cleanroom Users reported that station number 4 copper target would not sputter, we will be looking in to this problem on Monday. Please DO NOT USE station number 4. |
| 2000-2-4 | Information | We have installed an access control device on the sputterer. Beginning Monday (Feb. 7) users will be required to use their Buzz cards to access the system. Instructions for operating the access controller will be posted on the system. We will be installing access control devices similar to this one on all of the major cleanroom equipment in the coming weeks. All users should see Jana Chambers to have their Buzz cards punched and to get clips to hold them. Also note that you will not be able to operate the system unless you are an approved user. If you can sign up for the system using the web scheduling system, you are an approved user. |
| 2000-2-3 | Miscellaneous | The DC sputterer would not pump down. We determined that the user that had changed the target from chrome to titanium did not tighten the shaft seal properly. |
| 2000-2-25 | Information | The new 3" copper target is here now. |
| 2000-2-22 | Information | The copper 8" target has been installed. |
| 2000-2-11 | Information | Please remember to log off of the sputterer after you use it. To log off, slide your Buzz Card through the card reader. The display should show "Machine Disabled." It is very important for users to log off so that they will not be held responsible for damage to the system while they are not using it and so we will have a better record of how much the system is being used. |
| 2000-2-1 | Sputter Gun | A user reported that the system did not deposit any material on his sample. Upon investigation we determined that one of the power connections in one of the sputter guns had become disconnected. We have reconnected it. |
| 2000-1-7 | Information | The 8" copper target has been installed. |
| 2000-1-6 | Information | We have added a relay to the sputterer to shut off the mechanical pump when it is not in use. This is the same modification to that we made to the RF sputterer yesterday. With this modification, the pump should run less than two percent of the time it runs now. |
| 2000-1-5 | Cooling Water | A user reported a water interlock problem. The water filter had become clogged and was replaced. The DC sputterer is working properly now. |
| 2000-1-31 | A cleanroom user reported a water interlock alarm; the filter was restricting water flow. The water filter was replaced, and several test runs were made. |
| 2000-1-26 | The aluminum target was changed out. The eight inch copper target is currently installed. |
| 2000-1-25 | Software | The ion gauge has had intermittant problems not been turning on. We have adjusted the software so that the ion gauge will turn on slightly later in the process than it does now. This should fix the problem that the ion gauge has had recently. |
| 2000-1-19 | Information | We have installed the aluminum 8" target in the RF sputterer. |
| 2000-1-18 | Miscellaneous | Several users' samples were broken by high nitrogen flow while the system was being vented. The nitrogen vent pressure was set far too high. We have corrected the problem. |
| 2000-1-13 | Miscellaneous | The ion gauge is intermittently not working. We will be investigating this problem further tomorrow. |
| 2000-1-11 | Information | The new 8" aluminum target has been burned in. The copper target has been reinstalled and will remain installed until tomorrow morning. |
| 2000-1-10 | Information | The copper 8" target will remain installed until the 19th. |
| 1999-9-9 | Information | As a reminder, the 8" target is currently configured for copper. It will be changed to aluminum on Monday. |
| 1999-9-2 | Information | The target schedule is being modified for this week only. The 8" copper target will remain in place until the beginning of next week. At that time, the 8" aluminum/silicon target will be installed. |
| 1999-8-9 | Miscellaneous | A user reported that the DC sputterer ion gauge was not reading pressure. We gave him instructions to get the gauge working again. |
| 1999-8-25 | Information | We have installed the 8" copper target in station 2. We burned the target in at 10 - 25% power. The copper target will remain installed until Monday morning. |
| 1999-7-8 | Information | The 8" Al target will be switched with the 8" Cu target for the weekend. We are tentitively planning on switching back on Monday. |
| 1999-7-6 | Information | If you are using the 8" Al/Si target, we request information on how much of this material is being used in the Sputter by the users. Data will be collected from the data book next to the Sputterer. Any additional information provided by the users will be appreciated. |
| 1999-7-23 | Operator Error | 8" Al target has been installed in station number 2. Serveral test runs have been made and the system is operable.
A cleanroom user incrorrectly installed a target on station number 3. Please be aware that you must raise the target back to the normal operational height after installation. |
| 1999-7-22 | Cooling Water | A user reported that the DC sputterer was reporting a water interlock problem. We replaced the filter on the cooling water supply. The DC sputterer is working properly now. |
| 1999-7-20 | Information | The eight inch Al target will not be installed until Thursday morning because several cleanroom users have requested copper for Wednesday afternoon. |
| 1999-7-16 | Information | 1.) The aluminum target will not be changed until about 11:30 Monday morning per request of Dr. Allen. 2.) A user reported that the wrong metal was deposited on his sample during his run because the wrong target was installed. Users should visually check each of the targets before performing each run to insure that the targets actually installed match the targets indicated on the front of the machine. |
| 1999-7-13 | Information | Several users have requested that the 8" copper target be installed in the sputterer for their use. To allow users of both the aluminum and copper target to be able to use the target they want, we will be switching the target according to the following tentative schedule: Copper: 5 PM Fri - 3 PM Tues; Aluminum: 5 PM Tues - 3 PM Fri. The sputterer will be reserved for MiRC staff to change the target between 3 PM and 5 PM Tuesdays and Fridays. This schedule is tentative and may be changed. The aluminum target is installed now. |
| 1999-7-12 | Information | The eight inch Al sputtering target has been replaced with an eight inch Cu target. |
| 1999-7-12 | Information | The large copper target has been installed. The aluminium target will be reinstalled on Wednesday morning. A detailed schedule will be sent out on when the copper or aluminum target will be installed. |
| 1999-6-30 | Information | The DC sputterer will be down until sometime tomorrow afternoon to allow the department of Facilities to do work on a transformer. |
| 1999-6-28 | Substrate Holder | A user reported that the rotostrate on the DC sputterer was not working properly. The problem has been repaired, and the rotostrate is now working properly. |
| 1999-6-25 | Information | A user requested training on changing targets in the DC sputterer. We showed the user how to change targets and ran a test run using the target that was replaced. The test run yeilded satisfactory results. |
| 1999-6-25 | Information | No Lead or Zinc will be allowed to be Evaporated in the CVC E-beam Evaporator. If anyone wants to evaporate metals that are not already available on the system, please submit a request to the cleanroom committee.
The crucibles were misaligned in the system. We will be investigating this problem further in the near future. |
| 1999-6-24 | Information | Over the past several years, there have been a number of incidents in which users caused probems with the DC and RF sputterers due to the fact the sputterers allow users to directly control system valves that should not ordianarily be directly controlled. We have made some modifications to the control software configuration on both of these machines to make it harder for ordinary users to directly operate the valves. Today a user opened the vent valve directly rather than running the vent program, crashing the cryo-pump. We have regenerated the pump and the system is operational once again. Hopefully the software reconfiguration that we performed will prevent this type of problem in the future. |
| 1999-6-22 | Miscellaneous | The hoist on the DC Sputterer was repaired. After several hours of investigation, a fitting was discovered to be loose. The problem was remedied. The cover no long shakes as it is lowered. A cleanroom user reported that the system will not pumpdown to normal processing pressure. After further investigation, we discovered buildup on chamber O-ring. We cleaned the O-ring and performed several pumpdown tests. They system is now working properly. |
| 1999-6-21 | Poor Process Results | The eight inch (station 2) aluminum / silicon target has been installed. We ran a test run on the target, and the results look promising. We will be continuing to evaluate the target in the coming days. In addition, we ran a test run using the chrome target. We also trained a user on the sputterer. |
| 1999-5-5 | Vacuum Leak | Many users have complained that the system was pumping down very slowly. The system was leak checked and had its chamber o-ring replaced. This greatly improved the pumping performance of the system. Several pumping cycles were performed and each time the system reached process pressure within 25-30 minutes. |
| 1999-5-26 | Sputter Gun | A cleanroom user reported that one of the gold targets had sputtered through. Please inspect targets before you install them. If a target is too thin, please request a replacement target from MiRC staff. Another user reported a water interlock problem. We changed the water filter to increase water flow. This corrected the problem. |
| 1999-5-25 | Sputter Gun | The backing plate for the eight inch aluminum target is being remachined. It should be available by Friday. |
| 1999-5-21 | Miscellaneous | The target was taken off, and found to have a nick in the vacuum plate. It is being sent for repairs. The spare plate was found to have a water line leak. |
| 1999-5-20 | Information | New 8" target was delivered from Angstrum Sciences. The Target was installed in the target mounting assembly, this will be installed into the Sputterer tomorrow. |
| 1999-5-19 | DC Power Supply | Cleanroom User reported that there was no deposition on to his sample from the titanium target, station #3. After investigation it was found that the power supply was off. Please make sure the power supply is on. |
| 1999-5-17 | Information | By Friday, the new aluminum/silicon target (99% Al/ 1% Si) will be delivered. It should be installed, replacing the current 8 inch copper target, by the middle of next week. |
| 1999-4-9 | Information | The new Al/Si target seems to be working well. If you need to sputter aluminum, please use the three inch Angstrom Sciences target. Please inspect targets before starting your run. If in doubt, contact MiRC technical staff. |
| 1999-4-30 | Vacuum Leak | We have traced the DC sputterer pumping problem to the chamber o-ring. We replaced the o-ring and the sputterer is pumping better now. The pumpdown time is about 30 minutes. |
| 1999-4-27 | Vacuum Poor | Cleanroom users reported that the machine was having an excessive pumpdown time. We are currently investigating the matter, hoping to resolve the problem. |
| 1999-4-23 | Miscellaneous | A user reported that the lid was experiencing excessive vibration when the hoist was raised or lowered. The source of the problem was a loose coupler at the base of the hoist mechanism. The coupler has been readjusted and the hoist is operating normally with no abnormal or violent vibration.
Also, several pumping tests were performed on the system for the past several days. Currently, operating pressure is achieved after 40-45 minutes of pumping. Please be sure to account for this time when scheduling runs on the system. |
| 1999-4-22 | Vacuum Poor | The system continues to pump poorly. The regeneration of the cryogenic pump was not effective in restoring its pumping capacity. The cryogenic pump will be replaced with a spare unit on Friday. It will be unavailable for the entire weekend. Also, the chamber has been heated overnight. The RGA was reporting excessive water in the chamber. The chamber is dry now. |
| 1999-4-20 | Cryo Pump Regeneration | Over the weekend, the cryogenic pump was regenerated in an attempt to solve the system's slow pumping problem. On Monday morning, the base pressure of the pump would not fall low enough to turn on the compressor. The system was left to purge for the remainder of the day. After this purge, the base pressure was sufficiently low and the compressor was started. It was left to cool overnight. |
| 1999-4-2 | Information | Cleanroom users were experiencing problems with the Ti Cu 2 batch. The batch is only designed to deposit two metals. If you wish to do station 2, then 3, then 2, you must use the Ti Al Ti batch. If you would like a specific batch written for your process, please contact Alex Carver (ac75@prism.gatech.edu). |
| 1999-4-16 | Vacuum Poor | The sputtering system is currently experiencing poor pumping performance. We are aware of the problem and are taking steps to correct it. More information will be provided at a later time. |
| 1999-4-14 | Reminder | We will be making up new log sheets for the sputterer. Please fill out the log sheets after each use. |
| 1999-3-5 | Information | The eight inch copper target has been installed and will remain installed until the aluminum problem is resolved. We are hoping to receive the new aluminum / silicon targets next week. |
| 1999-3-2 | Poor Process Results | We are continuing to get poor results during Al sputtering. We have spoken with our aluminum vendor and have concluded that we will get better results from an aluminum/silicon target and we will be receiving one within a few day. |
| 1999-3-1 | Poor Process Results | A test run was made using the Angstrom Sciences target today. The target was installed in the 4th station, and it was run for 2 hours. The sample was cloudy when taken out of the Sputterer. |
| 1999-2-8 | Test Run | We performed various test runs. |
| 1999-2-5 | Test Run | We ran test runs using Station #2 Aluminum and also heat (Station #1). The results yielded depositions that flaked off of the glass substrate. Station #2 has been blanked off. Station #3 target has been switched to Aluminum. We did test runs and the results were good. |
| 1999-2-3 | Sputter Gun | We replaced the gun on station #3. We ran several successful test runs. |
| 1999-2-26 | Reminder | Users: Please do not put the sputterer guns all the way up after changing the target. Moving the gun away from the substrate reduces the deposition rate. |
| 1999-2-23 | Poor Process Results | The 8" copper and aluminum targets have been taken off. The sputterer has been blanked off where those targets go. Further tests on the New Kurt J. Lesker 3" inch targets have been made. The results were unsatisfactory.
The samples no longer come out cloudy, but when the sample is put on a hot plate, the aluminum still bubbles up. Further tests will be made. |
| 1999-2-2 | Sputter Gun | We attempted to perform several test runs to create samples of 3" aluminum targets for analysis. The sputterer did not deposit any aluminum. The residual gas analyzer indicated that water vapor was leaking into the chamber. We tested the station 3 gun by purging it with nitrogen and determined that it was the source of the water vapor. We replaced the gun with a rebuilt one. |
| 1999-2-16 | Poor Process Results | A new 3" test aluminum target from Angstrom sciences was installed, and several tests were run on it. The samples yielded poor results. The samples are still cloudy as before. The large copper target in station 2 was also installed. |
| 1999-2-15 | Test Run | We installed the 8" copper target. We also ran several test runs using a new 3" Al target from Angstrom Sciences. We will be evaluating these runs tomorrow. |
| 1999-2-12 | Sputter Gun | A leak test was perfomed on one of the aluminum backing plates. A crack was found at the base of one of the copper pipes extending from the plate.
The sputterer was capped off to allow users to continue using it. A new plate will be installed on Monday. |
| 1999-2-10 | Operator Error | A user reported a yellowish tint on his sample after coating it with aluminum. Another user had experienced very slow deposition. We inspected the target and determined that: 1) The target was not mounted correctly. It was tilted to one side far enough that we were able to insert a small screwdriver between the other side of the target and the sputter gun. 2) The person who installed the target had used way too much conductive paste and had gotten conductive paste on the front of the target. 3) The target was not aluminum as indicated on the sign on the front of the sputterer. The target was actually titanium. The titanium target was coated with an unknown material, which we cleaned off. Users should be careful to mount targets correctly. If you are not sure how to mount a target, please get help. We are writing instructions for changing targets and hope to have them in the lab by the end of the week. |
| 1999-2-1 | Poor Process Results | The target vendor, Kurt J. Lesker, is sending the Al target and the gun back to us, and we will be performing analyses of both items. |
| 1999-11-9 | Operator Error | Cleanroom user installed a sample tray incorrectly which caused the rotorstrat to bind against the shutter. The sample tray was removed as well as fragments of the user's sample. We then reinstalled the tray and made several test runs. The systems is now functioning properly. If you are experiencing any problems with this piece of equipment please see MiRC staff. |
| 1999-11-5 | Vacuum Poor | Cleanroom user reported excessive pumpdown time. System will be regenerated on Saturday. Please remember to record the pump down time in the log book before each run. |
| 1999-11-17 | |
| 1999-11-12 | Information | Both the DC and the RF Sputterering systems have new filaments installed in the residual gas analizers. |
| 1999-11-11 | Information | Due to ECR installation, the RF and DC sputterers will be down until 10 am this morning. |
| 1999-10-4 | Vacuum Poor | The system was experiencing poor pumping time. This resulted from a contaminated ion gauge. The ion gauge tube was degassed improving pumping time. No leaks were found in the system.
During this time, it was discovered that the shutter was binding on a heavy material build-up in the chamber. The build-up was removed and the shutter turned normally.
A cleanroom user then reported that the rotostrate was no longer turning. It has been determined that the coupling linking the motor and the rotostrate was stripped when a sample, which was too thick for the system, pulled the shutter. The shutter linkage was destroyed at the same time. The system is unavailable and will remain so until tomorrow. |
| 1999-10-28 | Cryo Pump Regeneration | System was regenerated, please make sure you are recording the pump down times. |
| 1999-1-7 | Sputter Gun | Gun was changed again. It was working fine yesterday. Several test runs
worked well. |
| 1999-1-6 | Test Run | Test samples were run and successful results were obtained. A
Plasma-therm representative informed us that our requested upgraded
software has been mailed. |
| 1999-1-6 | Sputter Gun | The installation of the rebuilt gun for Station #3 is now complete. The
second test run using an Aluminum target in Station #3 proved to be
successful. We ran tests for Dr. Kohl's group depositing Ti Au Ti. We
will examine the results Thursday. |
| 1999-1-28 | Poor Process Results | The 8" aluminum target and test sample have arrived at Kurt J. Lesker and
are being evaluated. They are going to test our target and cathode on their
system. |
| 1999-1-26 | Poor Process Results | Removed 8" Al target and performed a test run using the 3" Kurt J. Lesker target. We are returning the 8" target and samples from the 8 and 3" targets to Kurt J. Lesker for analysis. |
| 1999-1-25 | Operator Error | A user installed a target improperly which caused there to be no metal deposited. We corrected the problem, and the system is functioning properly. |
| 1999-1-22 | Poor Process Results | We are sending some samples from the 8" target and the 8" target/gun assembly itself to Kurt J. Lesker, the target supplier. They are still trying to find out what is causing the deposition problems that we are experiencing. We did a test run today and received _very_ poor deposition. The film was peeling badly off of the sample. Kurt J. Lesker has told us that the 8" target we are experiencing problems with comes from a different lot that the 3" Lesker target that works. They are looking into the different lots and trying to find any ifferences that they can. |
| 1999-1-21 | Poor Process Results | We are continuing to converse with Kurt J Lesker concerning the Aluminum target issue. |
| 1999-1-20 | Poor Process Results | Sent more information to Kurt J. Leskar about the target problem. |
| 1999-1-19 | Poor Process Results | Ran 8" Al target and printed residual gas analysis charts. We are sending the information to Kurt J. Leskar in a continuing effort to resolve the problem with cloudy aluminum deposition. |
| 1999-1-12 | Information | We installed the Chrome target and a trained user on the proper
operations. The Aluminum target is still depositing cloudy Aluminum. Photographs of test runs were taken and sent to Kurt J. Lesker. |
| 1999-1-11 | Test Run | We ran several test samples and will be evaluating them tomorrow morning. |