sputteringiin

Sputtering is a process where atoms are ejected from a solid or liquid material due to bombardment by energetic particles. Typically, these bombarding particles are ions, but energetic neutral atoms or even electrons can also cause sputtering. The material being bombarded is called the target, and the ejected atoms are called sputtered particles.

The sputtering process is initiated when the energetic bombarding particles strike the target surface. If the energy of the bombarding particle is sufficient, it can transfer momentum to the atoms in the target, causing them to be displaced. If the transferred momentum is large enough, these displaced atoms can gain enough kinetic energy to overcome the binding forces holding them to the target material and escape into the surrounding environment as sputtered particles. The yield of sputtering, or the number of sputtered atoms per incident bombarding particle, depends on the energy and type of the bombarding particle, as well as the material properties of the target.

Sputtering has numerous applications in science and industry. It is widely used in thin-film deposition techniques, such as sputtering deposition, to create thin layers of various materials on substrates. This is crucial in the manufacturing of semiconductors, optical coatings, and decorative finishes. Sputtering is also employed in surface analysis techniques like secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to probe the elemental composition of materials. Furthermore, it finds use in cleaning and etching surfaces in microfabrication processes.