Consultancy service for industry

Clients have included BAE Systems, Ellison Sensors International Ltd., European Space Agency,
Optical Antenna Systems Ltd., Associated Toolmakers Ltd.

The group has expertise in the formation of thin films of inorganic materials by vacuum coating and Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD).

Vacuum sputter coating is now available and will offer TiN, CrN. Other materials (Ti, Al-Si, SiO₂, MoSi₂) can be deposited with the appropriate target material.

Deposition of thin film materials currently include:

• Carbon nanotubes (dense mats of multi-walled CNTs on selected substrates). Vertically aligned MWNTs via plasma CVD.
• Metals
• SiO₂, MoSi₂

We also have an electroplating and anodising facility and have done Ni, Cr, Cu.

Edwards E306 vacuum evaporator with Inficon XTC/2 Film Thickness Monitor.

Two resistive evaporation sources are available and substrate heating to around 1000 deg. C is possible.

Custom built sputter coating system with:

• DC and RF power for magnetron.
• Custom built wafer stage (up to 2") with rotation and heating (to 800 deg. C) and DC bias
• Reactive gas injection

Stage at 600 deg C.                                             RF sputtering of SiO₂                                                 Glow-discharge cleaning of wafer stage

TiN coating on 304 grade stainless chips

The sputter stage has been designed at Glyndwr and is available for manufacture under license.

We have expertise and equipment for analysis and characterisation of surfaces using:

• SEM with elemental analysis (EDX)

• TEM with specialization in cross-sectional analysis of thin film structures (multilayer)

Image above shows cross-section of metal mulitlayer structure on sapphire substrate and contact strap

• Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for surface roughness, morphology at nanometer scale

Image on screen shows monodisperse polystrene spheres taken with Veeco Explorer AFM (center)

Example below shows surface topography of sputter coated TiN layer on SiC wafer

• Optical microscopy from low power stereo-zoom to high power metallurgical microscopes:
• Reflection with Normarski to x1500 magnification (non-immersion) (Reichert PolyVar Met).      -Image capture via Leica DFC500 CCD (up to 4080x3072 pixel)
• Reflection/Transmission with phase contrast and fluorescence (Leitz Dialux 20EB)
• Reflection/Transmission with Polariser (Olympus Vanox-T) x50 to x1000 (non-immersion)

Reichert Polyvar Met on left with Normarski

One of two steromicroscopes in center

Leitz transmission microscope on right

• Also, image processing and analysis. CCD-based macro & micro-photographic system. Dimensional measurements: length, area etc.

    Additional facilities include:

• Induction heating (3kW)       

• Controlled atmosphere tube furnace to 1200 deg. C for Hydrogen, Ammonia, Nitrogen and mixtures. Pure oxygen separately.

Palladium diffuser sits on top for delivery of high purity hydrogen











After warm-up, samples can be inserted for rapid heating or retracted for rapid cooling under flowing gas using quartz rod with hook.

Operation at 1100 deg. C under pure oxygen for oxidation of silicon  wafers.

• Photoluminescence (Room temperature down to 10K)

200W Hg-lamp on left, monochromator and cold head in center. Spectra recorded by Avantes 2048-element CCD (350nm to 1000nm) or Glen-Spectra/PMT-based  system on right. Coupling by 5mm aperture liquid light guides (i/p) and silica fibre optics (o/p).

System is shown in action below

• Diamond wafer saw cutting/slicing service.
• Diamond polishing/lapping of small samples
• Ultrasonic drill for very hard materials. Square or rectangular holes available to special order

Diamond saw on left, Minimet grinder /polisher in center and Ultrasonic drill on right

Contact:           Dr. Andrew C. Wright  Tel. 01978 293369    Fax 01978 293370      email:

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