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Is it better to bond fragile target materials to a backing plate?

Most oxide, nitride, and silicide targets crack during normal sputtering. Applying (or removing) power to these types of targets, must be done by slowly ramping up / down with occasional ‘soaks’ to allow the target to recover from thermal stresses. Bonding such targets to a suitable backing plate are highly recommended to the target, once cracked, stays together. A cracked target will still be sputtered providing plasma has no line-of-sight access through the cracks to the bonding agent or the backing plate. Bonding the target to a backing plate may or may not allow it to accept a higher power. Remember, the characteristics of the bonding agent must now be added to the heat dissipation considerations.

About the author

Julissa Green graduated from the University of Texas studying applied chemistry. She started her journalism life as a chemistry specialist in Stanford Advanced Materials (SAM) since 2016 and she has been fascinated by this fast growing industry ever since. If you have any particular topics of interest, or you have any questions, you can reach her at julissa@samaterials.com.

About Us

Stanford Advanced Materials (SAM) Corporation is a global supplier of various sputtering targets such as metals, alloys, oxides, ceramic materials. It was first established in 1994 to begin supplying high-quality rare-earth products to assist our customers in the research and development (R&D) fields.

October 2025
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