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Materials
The Umicore Thin Film Products Customer Magazine | July 2003
Expertise in Materials
and Commitment
to Partnership
Page 6 | Future Material
Indium Tin Oxide
Page 10 | The Success
Story of Moser Baer
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2 | July 2003
3 | Editorial
4 | Branding Umicore
Big Plans
Why we are who we are
5 | One Year
Looking back – looking ahead
6 | Future Material
Indium Tin Oxide
8 | Coating Material Analysis
with XRF
10 | The «Golden Success Story»
of Moser Baer
12 | Umicore Products
at Leybold Optics
13 | Introducing René Bühler
Our First Million
Dear Readers,
I am happy to welcome
you to the new issue of
Materials Magazine.This
publication is a cornerIgnace de Ruijter
stone in our communication with our business partners. It gives us the
opportunity to keep you up to date with our
progress and to provide you with company as
well as product and application information.
The contributions in this issue show that we
are moving forward, and I hope you enjoy
reading about it.
Time is flying – already a year has gone by
since Umicore acquired Unaxis Materials and
Arconium, combining these activities into a
new unit within Umicore. In 2002 our efforts
were focused on integration: it takes more
than a name change to join two different organizations into one. Together we developed
our mission statement and finalized a strategic
plan. Now we have become a fully-fledged
business unit within Umicore.
Continuing integration
14 | Ion Plating – Past and Present
75 years of technology
development
10 | Event News from Semicon
Editor in Chief: Ignace de Ruijter, Vice President Umicore Thin Film Products Managing Editor:
Markus Schilling, Marketing Communications Manager Design Management/Layout/Production: Denon Corporate Publishing, Rapperswil, Switzerland Project Manager: Veronika Schreyer,
is design, Vienna Please contact us at: Fax: +423 388 74 50 E-mail: sales.materials@umicore.com
Internet: www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com
Integration activities still continue and will do
so throughout 2003. Serving our customers
remains first priority, while at the same time
we are working on the deployment of our
strategic plan that was translated into more
than 50 separate projects. A goal oriented
project management will ensure their successful implementation. All managers and
project leaders have completed a training
course in project excellence, gaining a thorough qualification in methodology and practice of project management. We were able to
benefit greatly from Umicore’s extensive
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for Thin Film Products
«With our highly motivated team at Umicore Thin Film Products
we will achieve our goal of leadership position as supplier of products
and services for thin film applications.»
experience in this area. Another important
decision for the future was to focus our resources on thin film products, making thin
film materials for optics, optical data storage,
electronics, displays, and solar cells. We transferred our indium, selenium, and tellurium
commodity products to the Umicore Precious
Metals unit, where they are better suited both
from an operational and a marketing point
of view.
Materials expertise
The name of the Business Unit was changed
from Umicore Specialty Materials to Umicore
Thin Film Products, better expressing our focus on supplying products and services for
thin film applications. However, the name
change will not affect our marketing strategy
in any way, all our products will still be marketed under the Umicore brand.
Our existing platform in optics, optical data
storage, and electronics will continue to drive
Mission Statement
We want to be a recognized leader in the
development, manufacturing, sales, and recycling of materials for thin film applications.
We are committed to customer satisfaction
through competitive high quality products
and services.
We work in close cooperation with
our partners.
We want to derive pride, satisfaction and
fun from our work.
our business. We plan to increase our presence in the display market and have longterm development projects in solar cells.
Umicore Thin Film Products aims to achieve
leadership positions in these markets or in
specific market segments. A number of our
projects focus on developing new and better
products, operational excellence and customer commitment. Much work is still ahead
of us but we can build on our current competencies and established teams.
Our ultimate goal is to increase Umicore’s
presence in thin film products through organic growth and – should the opportunity
arise – acquisitions.
Succeeding together
Good partnerships are a key to our future success, on the supply side as well as for sales and
distribution. As outlined on page 12 in this
magazine we have entered into a new partnership with Leybold Optics for the sales of
We work in teams using integrity and
trust, open communication and creativity,
fairness and respect.
We operate in a safe and environmentally
responsible manner. We make conscious
use of materials and energy.
We are focused on growth and strive
for sustainable profitability that secures
our future.
materials for optics applications. We are very
excited about this collaboration with Leybold
where our combined leadership and competencies form a strongly integrated sales force.
In other markets we can either rely on a number of existing partnerships or on Umicore
marketing services.
In preparation for the challenges ahead we are
also strengthening our teams. René Bühler
has joined us from Unaxis Data Storage as
Marketing and Sales Manager, and Thomas
Jansseune will become part of our Taiwan
team as product manager. He will focus on
displays and also support marketing and operations at the Taiwan site.
What we stand for is best expressed in our
mission statement. I guess the words speak
for themselves.
I believe we can only derive pride, satisfaction
and fun from our work if you, as our customer
and partner, find pride, satisfaction, and fun in
working with us as well.
Thank you for your support and loyalty.
Best regards,
Ignace de Ruijter
Vice President
Umicore Thin Film Products
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4 | July 2003
Branding Umicore
Feeling good about ourselves is just as important for a company as it is for a person.
What we choose to wear expresses our personality just like a corporate image is determined
by its appropriate and authentic visual representation.
By Markus Schilling
Marketing Communications Manager
markus.schilling@umicore.com
What is «branding»?
The term «brand» originally refers to searing
the hide of one rancher’s cattle with his distinctive mark so that it couldn’t be confused with
anyone else’s. Nowadays products or services
are «branded» through i. e. logos, wordmarks,
trademarks, a slogan, or a special color.
But branding is not just the label on a ketchup
bottle. Everything can be a brand: products,
services, a company as a whole. A museum
can be a brand, a university, a state or country.
Even a person can be considered a brand.
Brands appeal in both rational and emotional ways. They convey their message not
only through standard communications, but
through stories, myths, and performances.
Branding goes far beyond the marketplace. It
represents a powerful link between the offer
and customer through familiarity, image and
trust. Consistency in word and deed regarding
products as well as human values lends a brand
the authenticity that sets it apart, gives it per- people who work in the company and to its
sonality and makes a logo or trademark into a customers and partners are contained in just
brand. Successful visual communication of a five words: «Materials for a better life.»
brand is the result of a corporate design (CD) The core identity of Umicore was defined:
We are a leading, global company that
that expresses the values and ideas of a comcreates «Materials for a better life».
pany as well as its competence. The most imThe metal and materials we create are at
portant elements of the corporate design are
the core of products essential to everythe logo, slogan, colors, typefaces, and image
day life and high technology applications.
treatment in their various media applications. Consistent communicaWalter Landor, corporate branding pioneer:
tion and application of these
design elements create a visual identity that, together
with the total image of a company, create brand identity.
Being committed to sustainable develBrand positioning requires a delicate balance
opment we are a pioneer in recycling
between the uniqueness of a brand, while at the
and environmentally responsible prosame time remaining close to the customers’
ducts and processes.
perception of the product or service.
The term «brand architecture» describes the
Developing the Umicore brand
relationship between various brands within
For Umicore the first step in the process was a company’s portfolio. Its careful definition
to take a careful look at its values, goals and is the basis for clear internal and external
strategies, finding a Mission Statement to ex- communication. The Umicore brand archipress the identity of the company. Their com- tecture is based upon the idea of one «ummitment to sustainable development, to the brella brand», which builds recognition and
«Products are made in the factory,
but brands are created in the mind.»
Five steps to Umicore
This is our world
We are at the core
of the world of materials
The influence of our materials
reaches out to create a more
comfortable and exciting world
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understanding of what we do and why. This makes the
Umicore logo the most important element in our communication. The visual representation of the brand is
a pledge of quality and competence, communicating
the values, products and services – the total image of
Umicore.
One Year
Looking back – looking ahead
A new logo, a new name
The decision to find a new name as well as change the
visual appearance was based on the following statements:
Umicore has moved away from mining.
Umicore’s focus is on metals and materials.
Umicore is committed to sustainable materials
development.
Umicore’s materials touch our world every day.
Changing the name from Union Minière to Umicore
was a difficult undertaking. Many iterations and suggestions were considered and tested worldwide until
the result was emotionally, legally and linguistically acceptable. Looking at the logo design, every element is
there for a reason, in total it represents our mission
statement «Materials for a better life». Looking at the
graphic interpretation below in greater detail, the chosen design makes perfect sense.
Our branding shows the liveliness, creativity and passion
we have for our work. It makes Umicore approachable,
better understood and recognizable worldwide.
Thank you for following us down this path, we hope
that it lead to a deeper understanding of the Umicore
approach and gave you some insights beyond the green
and blue circles and a few letters on our business cards.
We hope to be able to count you among our customers
also in the future for «Materials for a better life».
We are committed to recycling
By Hans Quaderer,
Managing Director
hans.quaderer@umicore.com
Following careful evaluation and auditing by our potential new
mother company, we finally became part of the Umicore family in
June 2002. The long period of uncertainty was over and a new era
began. Umicore, with its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, is well
established in the base and high purity materials business. Mark van
Sande, Executive Vice President of the Advanced Materials group
commented at the time: «This is a unique opportunity for Umicore
to go downstream in the field of thin film materials».
Many of our previous procedures, rules, and regulations where
questioned. Some required adaptation to Umicore standards, but
the essentials – our fundamental know-how and well-established
production processes – remained unchanged.
Growing Together
Umicore not only offered mouth-watering Belgian chocolate but
also revealed a world of material know-how and analytical capabilities, highly valuable resources for our activities. New opportunities
have opened up, for us as well as our new mother company, whose
commitment to our mutual success shows not least in their investment in our new building in Balzers, Liechtenstein. A year from
now, in spring 2004, we will be located at our new facilities where
we will continue to work on expanding our business.
Internally, other major activities have started. The new business
unit Thin Film Products has been established within the business
group Advanced Materials. A revision of our business strategy was
undertaken involving all players, which resulted in a new growth
strategy. Some far-reaching goals have been defined with ambitious
R&D projects and milestones. I’m happy to see that our team is
highly motivated and eager to rise to the challenge.
As we are all aware the world economy is currently at a low pace.
Rather than losing energy moaning we are making use of this time
to prepare for the next upturn and for new opportunities that will
arise in the near future.The only certainty in business life is change.
We successfully emerged from one major change into a promising
future with Umicore where we will play an increasingly important
role as a thin film products supplier in the fields of Data Storage,
Optics, Displays and Semiconductors.
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6 | July 2003
Future Material
Indium Tin Oxide (ITO)
Anyone looking for one product in the Umicore range with the most diverse applications would
probably come across ITO (indium tin oxide). It has some peculiar properties that make it applicable
as a thin film material in flat panel displays as well as solar cells, touch screens, architectural
glass with solar control or low emissivity, antistatic glass, smart windows, electromagnetic shielding
and even DNA-selecting chips[1].
By Dr. Thomas Jansseune
Product Manager Displays
thomas.jansseune@umicore.com
In this article we will shortly present two electro-optic applications that have shown tremendous growth over the last few years: flat panel
displays and solar cells. Between 1996 and 2001
the total installed photovoltaic power increased with annual growth rates of between
25 and 40 %[2]. The projected growth rate for
flat panel displays is shown in Figure 1.
tion layers and ITO layers (Figure 2). These
liquid crystals that are long molecules have
the property of changing the plane of the polarized light, depending on their molecular
orientation. The surface structure of the orientation layers keeps the long liquid crystal
molecules aligned in a certain direction close
to the surfaces of the glass pane. In the off
state, the light entering the cell is polarized by
the entrance polarizer.The liquid crystal molecules, twisted in the orientation layers by
90°, redirect the light so it can pass the exit
polarizer that is positioned perpendicular to
the entrance polarizer.This is the bright state.
In the on state, the ITO layer applies an electric field over the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal molecules are forced in one plane,
no longer changing the polarization of the
light coming into the cell. As a result the light
cannot pass the second polarizer. This is the
dark state. Switching between dark and bright
states makes the images appear on the screen.
Solar cells
In solar cells the function of the ITO is somewhat different. The cross section of a typical
Transparent and conductive
ITO is a TCO or transparent conductive oxide. As the name indicates these materials,
when applied as a thin coating, are both transparent to visible light (wavelengths between
0.4 and 0.8 µm) as well as electrically conductive. This opens up a whole range of possibilities. For both applications discussed here the
ITO is used to establish an electric current
over the device and to pass light through it.
Flat panel displays
Although many types of flat panel LCDs (liquid crystal displays) are available, the function of the ITO layer essentially remains the
same. The active layer – the liquid crystal – is
sandwiched between two polyamide orienta-
Notebooks are one
of the big growth
areas for flat panel
displays.
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Million units
Figure 1: Market evolution for TFT-LCD
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Table 1: Production of primary
(virgin) indium
Figure 2: Functionality of
a TN (twisted nematic) display
Bright state
Country
2002
production of
indium (mt)
Belgium
40
Canada
45
Dark state
Ray of light
2002
2003
2004
Entrance
polarizer
2005
Data: Umicore marketing study
Figure 3: Set-up of a CdTe solar cell
ITO layer, 200nm
off
Glass plane
with transparent
electrode and
orientation layer
on
CdTe, 4 to 10µm
CdS, 100nm
Metallic back
contact, 200nm
thin film CdTe solar cell (apart from the glass
layers) is shown in Figure 3. The sunlight
passes through the top glass surface and the
ITO layer and generates electricity in the active CdTe/CdS layers that act as a p/n junction. Using the electrical conductivity of the
ITO and the metallic back contact, a current
can be generated through the cell.
So – why ITO? Apart from the intrinsic properties of ITO, such as low resistivity, that
make it suitable for flat panel displays and solar cells, also processing parameters determine which TCO is chosen. Traditionally
good etchability and low deposition temperatures have been favoring ITO [3]. For both flat
panel displays and solar cells ITO is applied
by sputtering from ceramic targets.
About indium
ITO is one of the most important applications
of indium.About 45 % of all indium is used in
ITO [4]. On numerous occasions where the sucReferences:
[1] G. A. Miller, Y.Y. Belosludtsev, T. H. Murphy and H.R.
Garner Biomedical Microdevices 2:3, 215-220, 2000
[2] Data: International Energy Agency
[3] R. G. Gordon MRS Bulletin, vol. 25, no. 8, 52-57 (2000)
[4] U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries,
January 2003
[5] Reuters News Service, 9th May 2003
Exit
polarizer
China
85
France
65
Japan
60
Peru
5
Russia
15
Other countries (excl. USA)
20
Total
335
Source: U.S. Geological Survey,
Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2003.
cess of e. g. flat panel displays is celebrated, the
availability of indium has been questioned.
Virgin indium is only recovered as a by-product of metals like lead and zinc and «indium
mines» have never been operated.
In 2002 the world indium supply was still
plentiful. However, the closure of Metaleurop’s 65 mt/y capacity indium refinery in
France marked just the beginning of a
run for indium. Moreover, indium, as a
by-product of zinc production, suffers
from historically low zinc prices and
cut backs in zinc production. This
has lead to shortages in indium
concentrates, especially in China.
Additionally, severe mining accidents caused the shut down
of some Chinese operations.
As a result, even Chinese
indium producers are
now contemplating the
future of their indium
refinery, and Liuzhou
Zinc Group is even
considering a total
stop, which would
take another 25
mt/y capacity off
the market [5]. On the
free indium market, this has lead to considerable price increases and the unavailability of
sizeable quantities of indium. Although this
undoubtedly will have some effect on ITO,
the changes in the indium market are not expected to have a large impact on global availability in the near future.
Since only a small part of the ITO target is effectively used during sputtering, up
to 80 % of it can be recycled.
This forms an important source
for secondary indium. Shifts in
the indium market place, however,
will necessitate a better control
over the total value chain. The ability to manage this complete cycle puts
Umicore in a unique position. The
Belgian indium refinery at the Umicore Precious Metals plant in Hoboken
counts among the most important ones
in the world (Table 1).
Additional recycling facilities are available at Umicore Indium Products in the
USA. As such, Umicore is able to guarantee all its customers the reliable supply they
expect, today and in the future.
Example of a ceramic ITO target used in
the sputtering of thin films of indium tin oxide.
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8 | July 2003
Coating Materials Analysis
Using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)
By Andreas Hiermer
R&D Project Manager Optics
andreas.hiermer@umicore.com
These days XRF is turning more and more into
an all-purpose tool that analytical labs employ
in fields that were traditionally covered by
AAS (Atomic-Absorption-Spectroscopy) and
ICP-OES (Inductive Coupled Plasma Optical
Emission Spectroscopy). But what are the advantages? Once discovered, they are many:
Easy sample preparation,
Determination of many elements,
The possibility to measure completely
unknown substance combinations,
Wide range of concentrations, ranging
from 10 -2 % to 100 %,
Only a low thermal load is added to
the sample.
All elements of the periodic system between sodium and uranium can
be detected in roughly 100 seconds. For all elements from sodium to
cerium the k-lines of the X-ray spectrum are used, and the l-lines for
all elements from praseodymium to uranium.
How it works
In the Umicore Thin Film Products (TFP) lab we use a SPECTRO XLab 2000 as analytical tool for ED-XRF (Energy Dispersive X-Ray
Fluorescence). We will now take a closer look at WD-XRF, the Wavelength Dispersive method. Our system operates with a 400 W palladium
end-window tube and a silicon (lithium doped) detector with a resolution of < 150 eV which means 10.000 counts per second at the manganese k-line. An X-ray tube sends electromagnetic waves between
10-8 and 10-11 m to one of the three polarization targets. To eliminate interference of high spectral background that results from scattered excitation radiation on the sample, our measuring instrument additionally
applies polarizers in the beam path ahead of the sample:
An Al2O3 target as a Barkla polarizer, a HOPG (High Oriented
Pyrolytic Graphite) crystal as a Bragg polarizer and a molybdenum
secondary target for excitation are used. Polarization is induced by a
Preparing the XRF-equipment for the next measurement.
90° directional change of the X-rays on the polarization target. In
comparison to non-polarized direct excitation, the spectral background can be reduced by up to a factor 10. The cartesian excitation
geometry is shown in Figure 1. The sample chamber can be evacuated
or purged with nitrogen or helium gas. With the help of a sample
changer up to 20 samples can be measured automatically in our system configuration at Umicore TFP. Table 1 shows the three targets
used to generate polarized or strongly monochromatic X-ray radiation with which the sample is examined. As a result the sample emits
fluorescence radiation that is absorbed by a Si(Li) detector. Of all detectors available today, the liquid nitrogen cooled Si(Li) detector
gives the best resolution. It is also used for special applications such
as detecting traces of aluminum in quartz or traces of silicon in sulfate
due to the superior signal/noise ratio.This is particularly important for
the detection of traces in basic components.
Sample preparation and calibration
Many mistakes in analysis can be avoided by careful sample preparation. Any artefacts made due to sample preparation must be smaller
than the desired precision of the analytical method. The methods em-
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Dr. Thomas Schreiber, Unaxis: «The demand for
faster on-site analysis is creating a need to use X-ray
fluorescence analysis because of its easy sample
preparation and handling.»
ployed in XRF analysis for solids are powders in pedestals, moldings
and fused samples. Liquids are measured directly in the cuvette or –
if volatile – charcoal adsorbed. Quantitative XRF analysis requires
calibration of the measuring equipment, best performed by either the
empirical method or FPM (fundamental parameter method) calibration. The empirical calibration is based on the analysis of standards
with known elemental composition such as NIST- or BAM-standards.
To produce a reliable calibration model, the standards must be representative of the matrix and target element concentration ranges of the
sample to be analyzed. Identical sample morphology (particle size distribution, heterogeneity and surface condition) and sample geometry
for both standard and sample measurements is essential in empirical
calibrations.Alternatively, non-standard FPM techniques may be used
that rely on built-in mathematical algorithms describing the physics of
the detector’s response to pure elements. In this case, the typical composition of the sample must be known, while the calibration model may
be verified and optimized by one single standard sample.
Interpreting the signals
Table 1: These targets are used to generate polarized or
strongly monochromatic X-ray radiation to examine the sample.
Polarizer
target
Mo
A l 2O 3
HOPG
Type of
target
Analyzed
elements
Acceleration
voltage
S e co n d a r y
Barkla
B ra g g
C r-Y, H f- U
Z r- Ce
N a -V
40 kV
4 9, 5 k V
15 kV
Figure 1: Generating polarized
X-ray radiation by 90° angle reflection
The radiation intensity of each element signal, which is proportional
to the concentration of the element in the sample, is recalculated
internally and processed by Spectro’s Turboquant software that compares the signal with the programmed standards and can be shown
directly in concentration units (Figure 2). Examples of applications:
At Umicore TFP Energy-Dispersive XRF Spectrometry is used for
the screening analysis of any type of metals and alloys, such as AlSiCu,
Ag, Cr, GeSbTe, NiV, PbZrTi or Ti. In order to detect impurities and
to verify that specified limits can be guaranteed.
Figure 2: ED-XRF spectrum of NiV-Alloy using Mo-secondary target
10 7
5
10
2
6
Ni
Mo
V
Ni
Mo
5
X-ray tube
10
2
5
5
10
5
Imp.
Collimator
10
Target
2
4
2
3
5
2
10 2
x
Sample
5
2
10 1
y
5
2
z
Detector
10 0
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
E (kev)
14.0
16.0
18.0
20.0
22.0
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10 | July 2003
Continuing the «Golden
The CD as storage, backup, and archiving medium is one of the success stories of the Information Age.
Part of this story has been written by Moser Baer, now among the world’s largest manufacturers of
storage media, and Umicore Thin Film Products.
Based in New Delhi, India, Moser
Baer was established 20 years
By Wolfgang Siegl
ago, in 1983, with the goal to beProduct Manager Optical Data Storage
wolfgang.siegl@umicore.com
come a dominant player in the
global storage media arena – successfully, as market share development in recent years has
shown. The company has built a reputation as a dynamic
Indian transnational with a strong focus on research and
development. An emphasis on high quality products and
services has enabled Moser Baer to emerge as one of India’s leading technology companies with more than a
10% share of the global optical storage media market.
The company currently employs more than 3.000 people
and has multiple manufacturing facilities around New
Delhi as well as marketing offices and subsidiaries in India, the US and Europe. The company is also currently
starting manufacturing operations in the EU. Moser Baer
focused on moving up the technology value-chain at an
early stage, developing in-house processes and product
technologies to introduce cutting
edge products for the fast growing optical storage media market. Thus it is able to remain in
the lead: the Moser Baer proprietary production process PC12D
allows high-speed manufacture
of CD-Rs with discernibly better
quality results. This made Moser
Baer one of the first companies
in the world to receive the cov-
Umicore Thin Film Products supplies high
quality coating materials to Moser Baer.
eted «Certificate of Conformance» from Philips in accordance with the latest Orange Book Specifications. One of
the key factors accounting for the astounding success of
Moser Baer is its OEM-centric marketing strategy. Unlike its competitors, Moser Baer does not have its own
brand in the world market. Hence, Moser Baer does not
compete with it’s own customers that after all include
most of the well-known brands in the world’s storage media market.
Joint development
Moser Baer’s policy of building partnerships is a quality
seal on a long lasting supplier relationship. Being a good
supplier is about more than reliability and delivering on
time. It is about helping to create a win-win situation for all.
Umicore Thin Film Products (TFP) delivers best cost per
disc sputter targets and can provide the entire recycling
process. Just-in-time delivery with excellent and sustainable logistics – crucial attributes for a supplier of precious
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Success Story»
Mr. Giriraj Nyati: «Our success stems from a highly
quality conscious brand image coupled with continuous product innovations and improvements in the
manufacturing processes.»
metals. Considerable development effort goes into the goal
of low cost per disc with high product quality. For Umicore
Thin Film Products this means technical improvement of
targets and optimizing the forecast-, recycling-, and logistic
system to keep Moser Baer competitive.
being the deposition of thin layer films using the sputtering technology. This warrants a close partnership with a
highly reliable and technologically superior target manufacturing company. We feel that Umicore Thin Film Products fulfills these criteria.»
Interview with Mr. Giriraj Nyati, General Manager
Moser Baer, responsible for Engineering & Technology
Market forecasts for recordable CD-R and DVD-R media are
very good with the installed base of drives steadily rising.
What are Moser Baer’s plans within this scenario?
«Moser Baer, being one of the leading manufacturers of
these formats, definitely has very ambitious plans for
going forward. We shall endeavor continuously to remain
in the forefront of this cutting edge technology. Our success stems from a highly quality conscious brand image
coupled with continuous product innovations and improvements in the manufacturing processes.»
Mr. Nyati, why has Moser Baer chosen Umicore Thin Film
Products as one of its suppliers?
«Our business relationship with Umicore Thin Film
Products goes back to the times when it was still part of
Unaxis. Optical formats such as CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R,
DVD-RW require highly complex processes, one of them
How will the partnership with
Umicore Thin Film Products feature in your company’s future?
«Besides fulfilling our regular
requirements of targets manufactured with tighter tolerances,
we think that Umicore Thin Film
Products can play a very strategic role in our development activities for future formats.»
The New Delhi headquarters of Moser Baer.
Materials_Juli.03
11.6.2003
11:20 Uhr
Seite 12
12 | July 2003
Umicore Products at Leybold Optics
Umicore Thin Film Products and Leybold Optics join forces in a new distribution agreement
By Erich Schraner
Product Manager
Optical Coating Materials
erich.schraner@umicore.com
The already successful sales cooperation between Umicore Thin Film Products (TFP)
and Leybold Optics GmbH in some European countries has lead to a special quality of
partnership. A new distribution agreement
between the two companies has been signed:
Leybold Optics will sell Umicore branded
products worldwide (with the exception of a
small number of regions), giving both companies extended leverage in their marketplace.
Leybold Optics specialize in evaporation-,
sputtering- and plasma-assisted coating systems and processes, devoting a considerable
amount of resources on research and development.
They work in close collaboration with customers towards innovative solutions for precision optics, ophthalmics and reflective and
protective coatings. To ensure perfect service
to all our partners, a Sales and Service group
has been newly established in Germany.
Three sales managers and a group of service
engineers will be responsible for this important market. We would like to take this
opportunity to introduce our Partners at
Leybold and look forward to an even more
successful future.
Klaus Stander,
Sales Manager Germany (East)
His career with Leybold began in
Jena, Germany, where he was
Location Manager for Leybold
Vacuum. Later he became Sales
Manager responsible for Vacuum components
in Thuringia and Saxony. In 1997 he moved to
Leybold Systems as Sales Manager for Germany (North) for Optics, Ophthalmic, Crystal
Growing and CD. Since 1999 he has been
Sales Manager Germany for Leybold Optics.
Georg Melchert,
Sales Manager Germany (West)
Georg Melchert has worked in
thin film technologies since
1969 when he joined Leybold
Optics/Eelectronics as Product
Manager. 1974 – 1977 he was Sales Manager
for the former Eastern bloc, taking additional
sales responsibility for the complete Leybold
product palette from Alzenau, Hanau and
Cologne. For nearly a decade – between 1991
and ’98 – he left Leybold, working first as
International Sales Manager for Spektro
Analytical Instruments, Kleve, Germany,
then managing the profitcenter for vacuumsystems at AGA Hering, Gunzenhausen,
Germany. In 2000 Georg Melchert rejoined
Leybold as Product Manager Precision &
Telecom in the Sales Team Asia of Leybold
Optics. Since 2003 he has been Product Manager Germany (West).
Michael Walser,
Sales Manager Germany (South)
After receiving his engineering
diploma in 1996 he first worked
as service engineer of hard disk
sputtering systems with Balzers
AG in the US and Ireland.
In 2000 he completed a diploma in business
studies. He then became Manager of Leybold
Optics Liechtenstein, being responsible for
the sales area Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Starting 2003 he also covers the area of
Southern Germany.
A selection of optical products that will
be available through Leybold Optics sales channels.
Materials_Juli.03
13.6.2003
9:51 Uhr
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www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com | 13
Introducing René Bühler
Since 1st April 2003 Umicore Thin Film Products has
a new global Marketing and Sales Manager.
René Bühler
Global Marketing and Sales Manager
rene.buehler@umicore.com
René Bühler is a Swiss citizen and 43 years old.
After an engineering and economic education
he traveled extensively, collecting international
experience with long stays in the US, Asia and
Europe. In his professional career René spent
thirteen years with Unaxis in various positions.
He started as Product Manager for Coating
Equipment at Unaxis Optics, later became
Head of Business Group for Ophthalmics. In
1995 he was made a member of the European
Board of Directors for Sales and Service and
set up the current European Sales and Service
organization. René was Sales and Service Manager for Europe South (France, Italy, Spain,
Portugal and Switzerland) for the entire Unaxis product portfolio (including today’s
Umicore Thin Film Products). He moved to the
Unaxis Data Storage Division to set up the new
Strategic Business Unit (SBU) «Integrated Solutions», where his team developed the Unaxis
DVD 9 line «Matrix». Being also responsible
for service worldwide, René never lost touch
with the Sales and Service organization. Before
moving to Umicore Thin Film Products (TFP)
he also implemented the key account system at
Unaxis Data Storage.We asked him a few questions about his motives and intentions:
Mr. Bühler, why did you move to Umicore Thin
Film Products?
«The resources and know-how of the Umicore group offer unique opportunities in the
thin films industry. I am looking forward to a
new challenge and hope to gain a great deal
of experience. Working in an international
environment again is an added bonus.»
Where do you see Umicore TFP in the future?
«I envisage Umicore Thin Film Products as a
Who wants to be a Millionnaire?
More than one million good DVD-9 discs[1]
were sputtered from one single Umicore TFP target!
The target produced for the Unaxis
ARQ931 sputtering cathode set this unbelievable new record in DVD sputtering. One
million is far beyond whatever has been
achieved so far.
It has been one of the declared development
goals for Umicore Thin Film Products to
achieve the industry’s lowest cost per disk
for DVD-9 production. The new target design marked a milestone in development – it
meant a leap forward in the number of discs
per target while maintaining excellent layer
uniformity, as well as reducing material costs
for silver.
This has been made possible by working
closely with our partners in the industry.A big
«thank you» to the development teams and
all involved in this project. We are looking
forward to continuing these partnerships and
equally successful projects in the future.
[1] Layer zero
A new versus used ARQ931 Ag-Alloy
target showing excellent erosion profile.
leading supplier within Data Storage, Optics/
Opthalmics, Wear/Decorative coating. There
are also great opportunities and synergies with
other business groups within the Umicore TFP
organization to become a strong supplier for
the Semiconductor and Display businesses. I
am convinced that we can become a major
player in the entire thin films industry.»
What are your next steps?
«Firstly we are optimizing and adapting our
sales channels for each activity like in our
distribution agreement with Leybold Optics,
secondly we are focusing flat panel display
activities in Asia, where we have set a first
step by establishing a product manager in
Taiwan. He will be responsible for the display
business and the ITO products made at Providence, USA, where Umicore Indium Products (UIP) is located. UIP has extensive ITO
product know-how and produces – among
other things – indium chemicals for alcaline
batteries. I also intend to look towards the
many personal contacts I have built up over
the years in the industry such as equipment
suppliers and production sites for new
opportunities that help reach our strategic
goals.»
ONE N
O
I
L
L
I
M
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11.6.2003
9:41 Uhr
Seite 14
14 | July 2003
Ion Plating – Past and Present
Ion Plating combines the advantages of evaporation and sputtering like high deposition rate and
high kinetic energy of the depositing and bombarding species. First invented by B. Berghaus in
Switzerland in 1938[1], then re-discovered by Don Mattox in the US in 1963[2], this fascinating
technology has established itself as one of the major coating techniques for metals, alloys, and
chemical compounds and has been continuously improved ever since.
By Dr. Hans Pulker
University of Innsbruck
Austria
Plant installations for ion plating are similar
to evaporative deposition processes with
source to substrate distance ranges between
40 and 80 cm. E-gun evaporators are generally preferred.The substrate holder, however,
is electrically insulated and the substrates are
biased negatively so that an electric field exists between an anode, e.g. the vapor source,
and the substrates.With high gas pressure and
adequate voltage gradient a glow discharge is
generated – usually in an Ar or in an Ar/reactive gas atmosphere. In electron impact reactions and in collisions between ions and
neutrals coating material ions are formed and
accelerated in the electric field. The ion bombardment, involving ions of the gases and the
coating material, results in condensation and
film formation.
The higher energy neutral particles of vapor
and gases in various activated states are also
an important part of the deposition process.
This complex action is typical for ion plating.
A large number of process variations is possible and different components can be combined to more complex triode and tetrode ion
plating systems.
Characteristics of ion plating
What happens to an evaporated metal atom
on its path between source and substrate?
Under typical ion plating conditions inert and
reactive atoms or molecules will collide with
ions of the gases. Chemical reactions will occur with excited reactive atoms or ions either
in gas space or on the substrate surface. Ionization resulting from charge exchange
processes during collisions with ions can also
be observed. These collisions cause changes
in energy and speed, changes in the direction
of flight, changes in the chemical composition, and charge exchange and impact ionization resulting in acceleration of formed metal
or compound ions in the electric field.
The grade of ionization of the vaporized material depends on the kind of material, the applied vapor generation technique, and on
special installations and coating conditions.
Ion plating results in random enveloping deposition with energetic particles. The throwing
power is a typical, if not always welcome,
effect. As a consequence of particle bombardment during film growth diffusion is increased,
the nucleation conditions are changed, and
geometric projecting regions, such as tips, are
also preferentially sputtered. The forward
sputtered atoms fill the topographic valleys,
and those firstly sputtered away from the
rough surface partially return partially as
a result of gas scattering and ionization
processes, thus contributing to a smooth film
surface. In this manner – often instead of normal prismatic growth – a very densely packed
spiky structure of finely grained crystalline,
practically isotropic film microstructure and a
relatively smooth surface are obtained. Many
metal oxide films even have a very dense
amorphous microstructure. The energy transferred during ion bombardment is mostly
transformed into heat and can be used for
heating the substrates. If substrate heating is
undesirable, ion energy and ion density must
be lowered and highly effective water-cooling
is required. Still excellent film adherence and
Schematic representation
of a diode type ion plating system
-0.3 – 3kV
Shielding
Substrate holder and
substrates (cathode)
Glow discharge
plasma
Working gas
Inlets
Reactive gas
Anode
Evaporation source
film density are obtained.
In all cases of reactive deposition the presence
of plasma with ions and activated neutrals
generally favors chemical reactions.
Industrial ion plating systems
Early ion plating units using simple glow-discharge plasmas were, compared to modern
systems, less effective in the plating action.
But soon the situation changed.
Reactive low voltage ion plating (RLVIP)
This well-known plating method uses a non
self sustaining thermionic arc discharge
plasma. This thermionic arc ion plating, invented at Balzers Ltd. in 1977, was originally
mainly applied for the development and later
production of TiN films on steel substrates
Materials_Juli.03
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www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com | 15
like tools and other parts. Vaporization and
ionization is achieved by directing a plasmabeam with a magnetic field in a straight line
to a water-cooled anodic crucible. Further development succeeded in obtaining a more
flexible dual-beam technique by combining
one or two high-power 270° deflection electron beam evaporators with a low-voltage
thermionic arc source.
An optical monitor and/or a quartz crystal
monitor are used to control film thickness
and deposition rate. This dual-beam technique is mainly applied for the deposition of
environmentally stable high quality optical
films. Dense metal oxide, nitride, and oxyniSchematic of the reactive
low-voltage ion plating system
biasing potential on the substrates and on the
chamber walls. This technique is used particularly for the deposition of high quality lowloss optical films.
Arc source ion plating
Arc source ion plating is another powerful
technology. For the evaporation, or more accurately «ablation», electric arc discharges
are used between the material to be ablated,
the cathode, and an anode. This arc is stabilized through the evaporated material. The
arc moves randomly over the cathode surface
and one or several cathode spots are visible at
the same time. In the area of the cathode
Arc evaporation (ion plating)
Plasma arcs
Working gas
Inlets
Air
Reactive gas
Negative bias
Plasma
gun
Evaporator
(cathode)
E-gun
6 to 10kW
Substrate holder
and substrates
80V, 200A
Vacuum flange
02 N2
tride films can be deposited at relatively low
substrate temperature.
Advanced plasma source ion plating (APSIP)
Another ion plating technology is based on
the use of the advanced plasma source APS
from Leybold 1991. The APS consists of a
large area LaB6 cathode, a cylindrical anode
tube and a solenoid magnet. It is located in
the centre of the chamber bottom next to the
electron beam evaporators. An argon discharge is generated. Due to the magnetic field
the electrons are extracted into the direction
of the substrate holder. Reactive gases are introduced through a ring shower on the top of
the anode tube and are partly ionized because
dense plasma fills the whole chamber. Ion
plating occurs because of the negative self-
Electric power supply
spots high energy densities are observed.
Consequently the removed material behaves
differently to conventional evaporation.
Higher particle energies and a high degree
of ionization are found, but fluid microdroplets are present as well. During the material removal the arc source surface is not
molten over larger areas and the cathode can
be used in any position allowing upwards,
downwards, and sideways coating. This is a decided advantage when positioning the evaporators: they can be adjusted according to the
requirements of the biased substrates to be
coated.Various methods like mass spectrometric particle separators have been investigated
to reduce the emission of micro-droplets, but
are rarely used. Today the pulsed arc technology seems to be the accepted solution.
Applications and trends
A major application of ion plating is the coating of steel and other metals and alloys with
special films such as TiN, TiC, TiCN, ZrN, and
their combinations for various tribological
and decorative applications. Here arc ion
plating is the preferred technique. Particularly the dual-beam technique with low-voltage thermionic arc source (Balzers) and the
advanced plasma source (Leybold), both in
their reactive modes (RLVIP and APSIP),
are used to produce very dense and very
stable chemical compound films and film systems (i.e. SiO2, AR2 03’ZrO2, Ta205’ Nb205 and
Ti02) onto unheated substrates. Such films are
used in various environmentally stable lowloss optical interference coatings.
Only optimized production technologies can
meet the highly increased requirements for
optical and mechanical film properties. Type
and number of ions, the kinetic ion energy and
its distribution as well as the excited states are
key features for reliable and reproducible film
and film system production. For the optimization of ion plating processes it is therefore
necessary to carefully analyze plasma conditions and correlate obtained values with obtained film properties. Faraday cup, Langmuir
probe, and mass spectrometric measurements
should be performed to characterize the
plasma. Optical spectroscopy should be used
to detect and record electronically excited
states of atoms and molecules.
References:
[1] B. Berghaus, Brit.Pat.Spec. No.510993 (1938).
[2] Don Mattox in the Sandia Labs in Albuquerque,
New Mexico
Literature:
Mitsuharu Konuma, Film Deposition
by Plasma Techniques Springer, Berlin, 1992
H. Czichos, L. G. E. Vollrath, Oberflächentechnik,
SURTEC Berlin ’89 Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich, 1989
H. K. Pulker (Ed.), Wear and Corrosion
Resistant Coatings by CVD and PVD,
expert-verlag, Ehningen bei Boblingen, 1989
H. K. Pulker, Coatings on Glass – 2nd revised edition,
Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1999
Materials_Juli.03
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16 | July 2003
Semicon: A Platform for Communication
A busy day at Semicon China.
Close collaboration with Unaxis at Semicon Europe, ltr:
Dominik Ringer, Bernhard Bracher, Gotthard Kudlek (Unaxis).
Trade shows always are
an excellent opportunity to meet customers
and partners, introduce
new products, and – in
our case – present our new appearance as Umicore Thin Film Products
(TFP). Our long-standing business associates have previously known
us as Balzers Materials and in recent years as Unaxis Materials AG.
By Dr. Dominik Ringer
Product Manager
Semiconductor Materials
dominik.ringer@umicore.com
Trade shows
July – December 2003
Optics
Silmo
October
17 – 20 Paris, France
Photonics World
October
22 – 24 Singapore
OLA
November
20 – 22 Orlando, Florida, USA
October
21 – 22 Frankfurt, Germany
Optical Data Storage
Media-Tech Showcase/Conference
Replication Exhibition and Conference December
3 – 5 Shanghai, China
Semi/Electronics
Semicon West
July
Nanofair
September
14 – 16 San Francisco, USA
Semicon Taiwan
September 15 – 17 Taipei, Taiwan
9 – 11 St.Gallen, CH
Our team at Semicon China, ltr: Yuken Gao,
Mon Yuen, Dominik Ringer, Hans Wang.
Though the name has changed our experience and know-how remain,
ensuring continuity and high quality products and services.The picture
of Balzers castle on the back wall of our booth serves as reminder of
our long term experience in the materials business.
Good start at Semicon China and a great continuation in Munich
It was the first time our company participated in the Semicon China
in Shanghai’s new International Expo Center. Hans Wang and Yuken
Gao represented the Umicore sales office in Shanghai, and Mon Yuen
our sales office in Hong Kong.The brightly illuminated booth of Umicore TFP attracted many visitors and we enjoyed the lively conversations and keen interest in our products. Dear visitors and customers,
thank you for the warm welcome in China!
During Semicon Europe in Munich Umicore TFP and Unaxis conveniently occupied almost neighboring booths. Unaxis Semiconductors
and Umicore TFP share sales channels for the majority of the European market. Unaxis colleagues were present at our booth to welcome
customers, making the link to our previous parent company transparent to the Semicon community.
The new ARQ300 target for 300 mm wafer technology and a selection
of other targets for Unaxis equipment also visualizes our clear commitment to continue providing the full materials portfolio for Unaxis
equipment. We are looking forward to welcome you at Semicon West
and Semicon Taiwan.
Umicore Materials AG
Umicore Thin Film Products USA
Umicore Materials Taiwan Co., Ltd.
Umicore Indium Products
Schlossweg 11
P.O. Box 1000
FL-9496 Balzers
Tel +423 388 73 00
Fax +423 388 74 50
sales.materials@umicore.com
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com
Div. of Umicore USA, Inc.
4 Townsend West, Unit 12
Nashua, NH 03063 USA
Tel +1 603 594 1500
Fax +1 603 594 1538
sales.materials.na@umicore.com
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com
No. 32, Fushing Road
Hsinchu Industrial Park, Hukuo Hsiang
Hsinchu Hsien, Taiwan R.O.C
Tel +886 3597 6699
Fax +886 3597 7070
sales.materials.hc@umicore.com
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com
50 Simms Ave
Providence RI, 02909 USA
Tel +1 401 456 0800
Fax +1 401 421 2419
sales.materials.pr@umicore.com
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com