The desk sputter coater model DSR1 is a compact coating system able to coat noble metals such as gold (Au), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), and gold/palladium (Au/Pd) thin films on non-conductive or poorly conductive specimens. Uniform thin films with fine-grain sizes can form in a fast cycle time which makes it an ideal coating system for sample preparation for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis.
The Desk magnetron sputter coater (DSR1) is a high productivity tool that delivers consistent and highly repeatable results in the fully automated system. The ergonomic design and small footprint of the DSR1 SEM coating system allows easy use of the system.
The DSR1-170 is configured as a sputter coater suitable for scanning electron microscope (SEM) sample preparation.
The DSR1 with a 2” magnetron cathode, 80 W switching DC power supply, could be used for research and different thin film applications. DSR1 can be equipped with a water-cooled cathode which make it suitable for long time deposition. The maximum size of substrates in this model could be 4 inches.
What is SEM?
Features of DSR1
- Two-stage, direct drive rotary vane pump 6 m3/h
- 80 W switching DC power supply
- Quartz crystal thickness monitor with precision of 1 nm and resolution of 1 Å
- One 2-inch magnetron cathode
- Electronic gas valves
- Sample rotation, height, and tilt adjustable
- Equipped with electronic shutter
- Easy-to-change specimen stages (Rotation stage as standard)
- Two-year warranty
- CE conformity
- Vac Coat products are covered worldwide by both public and product Liability Insurance in case any property damage or personal injury happens caused by the Vac Coat systems.
- Intuitive touch screen to control the coating process and rapid data input
- User friendly software, updatable via network
- Controls coating rate to achieve finer grain structures
- Semi-full automatic coating process (Optional)
- Repeatable and programmable sputtering process in the automatic mode
- Manual or automatic timed and thickness deposition
- Able to record and plot coating parameters graphs
- Storing coating recipes for repeatable depositions
The DSR1 is a scanning electron microscope sample preparation system equipped with a rotary pump to achieve vacuum less than 50 mTorr, which is a suitable vacuum range for noble metals sputter coating.
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- Noble metal coating for SEM and FE-SEM sample preparation
- Contact coating
- Glow discharge plasma for surface modifications and improved surface hydrophilicity (Optional)
For sputtering of oxidizing metals, please see the DST1 (Turbo-pumped desk sputter coater).
- Suitable for deposition of noble metals
- Able to perform GLAD Sputtering
- Automatic control of the cathode’s temperature to protect the lifetime of the magnets
- Max. power consumption: 1.5 kW
- Quartz crystal sensor
- Planetary sample rotation stage
- Spare glass chamber
- Sputtering targets
- Sealing gaskets
- Glow discharge plasma rod
Touch Screen Control
DSR1, the desk sputter coater, is equipped with a 7” colored touch screen and full automatic control using a user-friendly software to control and adjust the deposition process data. The vacuum and coating sequence information can be observed as digital data or curves on the touch screen. The last 300 coatings information is saved on the history page and can be transferred to PC by a USB port on the device.
Sample Holder Stages
The DSR1 can be equipped with different sample stage configurations depending on the user requirements. The standard sample stage is rotatable with adjustable height and angel and can be changed easily. The rotary planetary sample stage is a good choice for uniform coating of porous specimens (Optional).
Rotary Planetary Sample Stage
Standard Sample Stage
Newly Designed Sample Holder
A new 4-inch rotating sample holder (With an optional gear offset) is designed for the system to increase the deposition area and the number of coating stubs in a run (Customizable for max. 50×1 mm stubs).
Detailed Features
- Dimensions: 420 × 480 × 370 mm (H × W × D)
- Weight: 30 Kg
- Vacuum Chamber Dimension: Borosilicate Glass, 170 mm Dia.× 140 mm Height
- Display Screen: 7” Diagonal (16:9) 800×480 High Color- Graphic TFT- LCD
- Data Transfer: USB Port – For Transferring the data and graph to PC
- Target Dimension: 1 Disc, Diameter ranging 50-56 mm, Thickness 0.1~3 mm (The preferred Thickness is less than 1 mm)
- Sample Holder Dimension: Diameter 60 mm, can contain:
- 11×6 mm stubs or
- 6×7 mm stubs or
- 5×19 mm stubs
Max Diameter is 10 cm that can contain 50×1 mm stub.
- Chamber’s Lid: Made of Aluminum and can locate 1 Cathode on it.
- Specification: Crystal thickness gauge with sensor, gold coated crystal quartz, oscillator
- Resolution: ±1 Angstrom
- Accuracy: ±1 nanometer
- Vacuum Pump: Two-stage rotary vane
- Vacuum gauge range: 103-1×10-3 Torr
- Final Vacuum: 30×10-3 Torr
- Sputtering: Continuous Sputtering, Time, and Thickness dependent
- Gas: Argon as a carrier gas with %99.999 purity
- Electric Power Supply: DC: 80 W switching DC power supply
- Control of Argon supply: Electronic leak valve
- Electrical Inlet: Inlet: 220-240V, 50/60Hz; or 110V, 50/60Hz *
* Single-phase AC power with appropriate earth connection is required.
How Does Desk Sputter Coater work?
Similar Products
FAQ
1- Do I need to purchase the vacuum pump of DSR1 from your company?
Not necessarily. You can purchase the vacuum pumps from another company, but we highly recommend our high-quality pumps. The Vac Coat vacuum pump used in this device is a Two-stage, direct-drive 4m3/h rotary vane pump with less noise and an Oil mist filter that prevents the spread of smoke in the laboratory. If you still want to purchase from other companies, please inform us to get technical consultancy to make sure the pump is fully compatible with the coating system.
2- What are the necessary accessories for DSR1 sputter coater?
- Nobel metals targets like Au, Pt or Pd Targets
- Argon and cylinder with High Purity ≥ 99.999%
- Two-Stage Argon Regulator
3- Does your device need to be installed by Vac Coat experts?
Setting up our system is very straightforward. We have also provided a clear user manual and instructional videos that help you to set up the system step by step. Remember that our after sales service are always available to help and answer your questions.
4- Considering the high- quality device packaging, should I keep the device packaging box?
If the device needs calibration, maintenance or repair in the factory or our company’s representative workshops, it must be packed and transport in its original box.
5- What are the consumables of the DSR1 sputter coater?
- Target
- Quartz crystal thickness sensor
- Argon gas
- Oil of rotary vacuum pump
6- How long do my consumables (target, Ar gas, and quartz crystal) last?
It depends on how much they are used, for example, a gold target with a thickness of 0.15mm is sufficient for the coating of 300 to 400 electron microscopes samples, and a 5-liter Argon gas cylinder is enough for the coating of more than 2000 samples. For quartz crystals, after 100 to 150 coatings with an average thickness of about 20 nm, the life of the crystal is reduced and it is better to replace it. It is recommended to work in the timed mode by covering the quartz crystal surface if you know the time and power required for deposition of the desired film thickness.
7- Is DSR1 a suitable candidate for the applications other than preparing electron microscope samples? For example, creating electrical contacts with thicknesses greater than 100 nanometers?
DSR1 is able to sputter continually about 150 nm of Au (the required thickness for the SEM samples is 5-20 nm). More than this thickness, the cathode will be warmed up and the sputtering process will be stopped automatically to protect the cathode. DSR1 could be equipped with a water-cooled cathode, so can continue to deposition unlimitedly.
8- How much is the size of DSR1 target retainer?
The diameter of the targets to be installed on this instrument is supposed to be 50-54 mm and the target thickness should be in the range of 0.1 – 3 mm.
9- What is difference between the DSR1 and DST1?
The ultimate pressure in DST1 is very lower than DSR1 (5×10-6 Torr in DST1, compared to 5×10-2 Torr in DSR1). DST1 is able to sputter not only noble metals, but also oxidizing targets. The grain size of the deposited layers of metals like Cr and W are much finer than the deposited noble metals, thus more suitable for the field emission electron microscopes (FESEM).
10- How long it will take to deposit 5-20 nm of Au by DSR1?
Three minutes for pumping down and one minute for the deposition.
What is the accuracy of Film Thickness Metter (FTM)?
The accuracy of thickness measuring gauge is ±1 nanometer, and its resolution is 0.1 nanometers. As the quartz crystal and the samples are not at the same place, the thickness of deposited layer on the samples is different from the one on the thickness sensor. So, the thickness of coating on the crystal sensor should be multiplied by a number greater than 1 to calculate the correct thickness. This number, which is a geometric factor called the “Tooling Factor”, can be calculated by a calibration process through thickness measurement methods and adjusted in the thickness meter settings window. It should be noted that by selecting the required target in the thickness window, its density is automatically applied to the system.
What is the application of a planetary sample holder?
In the case of coating on porous samples, inside of the holes will not be coated well during the deposition and would be blind spots for an electron microscope. The planetary sample holder maximizes the coverage of the coating by rotating the specimen during the coating process.
What kind of targets could be sputtered by DSR1?
Only noble metal targets.