RECTANGULAR CATHODES
Target Utilization
Target utilization and life are two important factors in choosing a magnetron cathode. The table below shows typical target erosion results for many of our cathode designs. We base our measurements on “useable” target utilization and on standard “burn-through” target utilization. However, the best way to verify the utilization of a target is to look at the used targets.
Target Size | % Used ** A / B |
KWHR | Volume Used | Groove Depth |
2 x 38 x 1/4 3.5 x 30 x 3/8 5 x 12 x 1/2 5 x 12 x 5/8 5 x 36 x 1/2 6 x 12 x 5/8 6 x 46 x 5/8 8 x 36 x 7/8 |
28 / 33 40 / 43 38 / 42 33 / 39 37 / 40 41 / 48 40 / 47 44 / 50 |
181 395 371 409 975 793 2170 3361 |
5.1 in3 15.7 in3 12.0 in3 15.0 in3 36.0 in3 23.0 in3 69.0 in3 111.0 in3 |
0.183 0.250 0.450 0.525 0.461 0.575 0.583 0.763 |
Results are for aluminum targets, most eroded at 3 mTorr Argon at 9KW.
**We use two methods to calculate target utilization: Method A: % weight lost. Method B: % weight lost * target thickness / groove depth. Method A is useful for processes that use targets without backing plates, while method B is used when a backing plate is present, allowing erosion through the full target thickness.