dictionary of terms |
| |
| Anode |
| The electrode in device out of which electrons flow out of and return to the circuit. |
| |
| Arc |
| An electrical breakdown of gas which produces an ongoing plasma discharge resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive media such as air. |
| |
| Baking the chamber |
| (250°C-400°C) removes water or hydrocarbons adsorbed to the walls. |
| |
| Cathode |
| The electrode at which electrons go into a cell, tube or diode. |
| |
| Ceramics |
| Inorganic non-metallic materials. |
| |
| Coercivity |
| The intensity of the applied magnetic field required to reduce the magnetization of that material to zero after the magnetization of the sample has been driven to saturation. |
| |
| Compression Fittings |
| A fitting pressed against a pipe so tightly that no water may leak through. |
| |
| Conductive |
| Materials that contain movable charges of electricity. |
| |
| Electron Density |
| The measure of the number of electrons being present in a given volume. |
| |
| Flange |
| An external or internal rib or rim, used to add strength or to hold something in place. |
| |
| Glow Discharge |
| A plasma formed by passing an electric current through a gas – usually argon. |
| |
| Insulating |
| Prevents the flow of electrical charges. |
| |
| Ion |
| An atom with a net electric charge. |
| |
| Lines of Force |
| The curve whose tangent gives the direction of the field at that point. |
| |
| Magnetic Field |
| A physical phenomenon produced by both an electric current and/or the orbit and spin of electrons in an atom. |
| |
| Magnetron Sputtering |
| Uses magnetic fields to confine plasma to the region closest to the target plate, maintaining a higher ion density and creating a higher electron/ion collision rate, thus increasing the sputter yield. |
| |
| Metals |
| An element that readily forms ions and creates metallic bonds. |
| |
| NdFeB Magnets |
| Made from a combination of neodymium, iron and boron and are 30% stronger than other rare-earth magnets. |
| |
| O-ring |
| A loop of elastomer with a round cross section used as a mechanical seal. |
| |
| Out-gassing |
| The slow release of a gas that was trapped, frozen or absorbed in some material. |
| |
| Permanent magnet |
| A magnet that does not rely upon outside influences to generate their magnetic field. |
| |
| Plasma |
| A state of matter which contains an equal number of positive and negative charges. |
| |
| Power density |
| The amount of power delivered by an energy source, divided by some measure of the source’s surface area. |
| |
| Rare-earth magnet |
| A permanent magnet, stronger in magnitude than ferrite or ceramic magnets. |
| |
| RF Shielding |
| The protection of sensitive electrical equipment from external radio frequency electromagnetic radiation by enclosing it in a conductive metal such as a wire mesh. |
| |
| Short circuit |
| An accidental low-resistance connection between two nodes of an electrical circuit that are different voltages. |
| |
| Sputtering |
| The vacuum process during which energized plasma ions strike a target composed of the desired coating materials and causes the atoms from that target to eject with enough energy to travel to and bond with a substrate to form a thin film. |
| |
| Substrate |
| The base material to be coated with a thin film. |
| |
| Target |
| The solid source of material to be deposited through a sputtering process. |
| |
| Thin Film Deposition |
| Any technique used to deposit a thin film of material onto a substrate or previously deposited materials. |
| |
| Thin Films |
| A layer of material. |
| |
| Threaded |
| A ridge running in a spiral down the length of a cylinder which turns rotation into linear movement. |
| |
| Torr |
| A millimeter of mercury used as a unit of pressure. |
| |
| Turbulent water flow |
| A flow regime characterized by chaotic property changes, including low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time. |
| |
| UHV |
| Requires the use of special materials, extreme cleanliness, and baking the entire system to remove water and other trace gases. |
| |
| Utilization |
| The proportion of a target used compared to its total resources. |
| |
| Vacuum Chamber |
| A rigid enclosure from which air and other gases are removed by a vacuum pump. |
