The AJA International NAUTILUS SERIES "rotating" magnetron sputtering sources have been designed to meet the most challenging application requirements in today's thin film deposition markets. Development of these sources has been an extensive process involving several years of field testing and resulting in a sputtering source with some very unique features which can make both retrofit and new system design a much simpler process.

In most applications, our customers are trying to achieve optimum uniformity at maximum rate and target utilization. Our unique, rotating, modular magnet array and highly efficient target cooling design make this goal achievable. In a growing number of applications, for example disk coatings, it may be necessary to arrange the rotating magnet array to produce an inherently, non-uniform deposition to compensate for chamber shielding / geometry. This requirement is easily accomplished with the highly accessible, rare earth, modular magnet array.

Integration with a new system design is facilitated by an optimal hingeplate which permits the operator to "flip" the source for easy access target changes and cleaning. A fully self-contained gas introduction system helps offset the effects of asymmetrical vacuum pumping and simplifies cleaning since the gas ring is easily accessed during target changes. If gas is introduced through a small hole in the mating flange between the source's double o-ring seal system, no external, flexible gas lines are required which can easily fatigue causing vacuum leaks.

Aesthetically , the NAUTILUS SERIES "rotating" magnetron sputtering sources are sleek and compact. Since they feature a gear-less, direct-drive design with a minimum of moving parts, they are almost completely silent during operation. The evolution of this product has resulted in the most service friendly product of its kind on the market thereby providing our customers with maximized "up time" and frustration free maintenance.

In production applications where the substrate needs to be coated from all sides simultaneously, the CTX Series of cylindrical targets accomplishes the task in one easy step. With the sputtered flux arriving from the inner surface of the cylindrical target this special source keeps the entire substrate surface "in the plasma" throughout the deposition for highly uniform film properties. Sources are custom built to the application with sizes ranging from 6" to 24" ID. Targets can be machined from solid, rolled and bonded or plasma sprayed depending on the material. These magnetrons can also be used for large area off-axis deposition or low damage films such as ITO and feature integral process gas distribution.

In cylindrical chamber configurations where substrates are fixed to the periphery of a rotating table or "spider" the ideal sputter source shape is triagular to optimize uniformity while minimizing the rate loss due to uniformity shielding. AJA International, Inc. has developed the unique TR5313 Concentric Triangular Magnetron Sputtering Source. These sources can be run with RF or any form of DC Integral isolation chimneys, gas distribution systems and QCM ports are "designed in" for maximum uniformity and process control.