AVS 47th International Symposium
    Vacuum Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session VT-ThM

Paper VT-ThM9
Influence of the Elemental Composition and Crystal Structure on the Vacuum Properties of Ti-Zr-V Non-evaporable Getter Films

Thursday, October 5, 2000, 11:00 am, Room 201

Session: Pumps and Large Vacuum Systems
Presenter: A. Prodromides, CERN, Switzerland
Authors: C. Benvenuti, CERN, Switzerland
P. Chiggiato, CERN, Switzerland
A. Mongelluzzo, CERN, Switzerland
A. Prodromides, CERN, Switzerland
V. Ruzinov, CERN, Switzerland
M. Taborelli, CERN, Switzerland
F. Lévy, EPFL, Switzerland
Correspondent: Click to Email
Non-evaporable thin film getters of various composition have been deposited by sputtering. Among the 20 materials that have been studied, the coating with the lowest activation temperature (about 180 °C) has been found in the Ti-Zr-V system sputter-deposited from a cathode made of intertwisted wires of the constituent elements. In an attempt to reduce the activation temperature, Ti-Zr-V films of various composition have been deposited by means of a dedicated three-cathode planar magnetron sputtering configuration, and then characterised by Auger electron spectroscopy and pumping speed measurements. We have found that the lowest activation temperatures and the highest pumping speeds are obtained only in a confined zone of the Ti-Zr-V system, corresponding to an amorphous or nanocrystalline structure. Important and irreversible reductions of the getter film pumping speed are observed when the film structure is modified by heating.