Aluminum (Al) Pellets Evaporation Materials

Aluminum (Al) Pellets Overview

We sell these pellets and pieces by unit weight for evaporation use in deposition processes. These approximate materials prices are published to provide budgetary guidelines. Actual prices can vary and may be higher or lower, as determined by availability and market fluctuations. To speak to someone directly about current pricing, please click here .

Aluminum (Al) General Information

Aluminum is one of the most common metals in the world. It can be found in kitchen utensils, cars, street lights, and the popular aluminum foil food packaging. Aluminum is a silvery-white, metallic material. It is light, malleable, ductile, and non-magnetic under normal conditions. It has a density of 2.7 g/cc, a melting point of 660°C, and a vapor pressure of 10^-4 Torr at 1,010°C. Although it is not a strong material, it is a good conductor of heat and electricity and is able to form an oxide layer that is resistant to corrosion. Due to its high reactivity, it is rarely found in nature as a free element. When evaporated in a vacuum, aluminum layers form a reflective coating found on telescopes, automotive headlamps, mirrors, packages, and toys. It is widely used in the aerospace, automotive lighting, OLED, and optical industries.

Aluminum (Al) Specifications

**** Suggestion based on previous experience but could vary by process. Contact local KJLC Sales Manager for further information

Thermal Evaporation of Aluminum (Al)

It is important to note that aluminum has the tendency to alloy with refractory metals causing cracks in metal crucibles and boats during e-beam or thermal evaporation.

Here are two methods for thermally evaporating aluminum.

One approach is to use a thin width, thick gauge, high current tungsten boat such as our EVS20A015W. We have been successful with evaporating aluminum in this particular boat and are able to deposit more than 3,000 angstroms per run with rates greater than 30 angstroms per second. We are able to get multiple runs (about 4) with two 1/4" X 1/4" pellets in the boat during each run. Generally, the current draw from the boat is quite consistent run-to-run. It is crucial not to disturb the boat when venting the chamber to re-load with more pellets as the boat becomes brittle after the first evaporation. Even though the boats will need to be replaced frequently (a thicker boat only prolongs inevitable cracking), they are usually inexpensive. However, down-time experienced while switching out the boats should be considered when using this method.

The second recommendation is to use a shielded tantalum crucible heater with a tall intermetallic crucible. Intermetallic crucibles are composed of titanium boride (TiB₂) and boron nitride (BN). This material combination works well with aluminum because the material is both lubricious and electrically conductive. The crucible is both strong and conductive, yet its lubricious properties prevent material spill-over and crucible cracking. Great care must be taken when installing the heater to prevent the outer shields from becoming warped which can cause a short in the heater, causing the welded joints to fail. The heater should be centered between the contacts and the outer shielding must be clear of the leads.

Some of our production customers have indicated they can get 10-15 runs out of intermetallic crucibles. These users are very experienced in thermally evaporating aluminum in high volumes. Therefore, they have refined their processes so it is possible that these results may not be typical in all applications. An example of a heater-crucible set-up would be our EVCH1 or EVCH10 paired with EVC9INTSPL01 when using one of our vacuum systems.

Flash evaporation of aluminum is a common method of depositing large amounts of aluminum, especially in the automotive lighting and decorative industries. Pieces of aluminum (wire, canes, coils, etc.) are inserted onto tungsten filaments. The filaments are connected to electrical feedthroughs and, when sufficient current is applied, the aluminum instantaneously (flash) evaporates. There are generally many filaments connected in a deposition system, allowing for a large number of substrates to be coated simultaneously. It should be noted that not all 100% of the aluminum evaporates. A portion "wets" the tungsten and over several runs, the filament will break and need to be replaced.

Crucibles should be stored in a cool, dry place and always handled with gloves or forceps.

E-beam Evaporation of Aluminum (Al)

It is important to note that aluminum has the tendency to alloy with refractory metals causing cracks in metal crucibles and boats during e-beam or thermal evaporation.

As with thermal evaporation, we recommend using an intermetallic crucible when e-beam evaporating aluminum because of the crucible material's unique conductive and lubricious characteristics. A key process note is to consider the fill volume in the e-beam application because we find that the melt level of aluminum in the crucible directly affects the success of the crucible liner. Overfilling the crucible will cause the material to spill over and create an electrical short between the liner and the hearth. The outcome is cracking in the crucible. This is the most common cause of crucible liner failure. Placing too little material in the crucible or evaporating too much material before refilling can be detrimental to the process as well. When the melt level is below 30%, the e-beam is likely to strike the bottom or walls of the crucible which immediately results in breakage. Our recommendation is to fill the crucible between 2/3 and 3/4 full to prevent these difficulties. While our customers report success in running aluminum out of intermetallic crucibles, others claim that FABMATE^® crucibles last longer. It is important to mention that most FABMATE crucibles are less expensive than intermetallic crucibles.

There is a risk of aluminum carbide contamination in films if higher powers are used during evaporation. High beam power causes increased thermal load on the crucible and carbon from the liner can infiltrate the aluminum melt. Evidence of this occurrence is generally a transparent, yellowish film that covers the surface of the melt. The evaporation rate will plummet and the natural reaction is to increase the power. However, this only exacerbates the problem. Applying lower beam powers from the beginning of the process will help to minimize this threat.

Crucibles should be stored in a cool, dry place and always handled with gloves or forceps.

E-beam Crucible Liner Fill Rate Calculator

Instructions for use:
Input the Crucible Liner Volume, Select Material (if not available in menu, manually input Material Density in g/cm³), and input fill rate %.

KJLC recommends a fill rate between 67-75%. Overfilling the crucible will cause the material to spill over and create an electrical short between the liner and the hearth causing the crucible to crack. Placing too little material in the crucible or allowing the melt level to get too low can be detrimental to the process as well. When the melt level is below 30%, the e-beam is likely to strike the bottom or walls of the crucible which immediately results in breakage.

The fill rate above assumes that the material is fully melted and does not take into account packing density. It should be noted that the crucible liner may need to be loaded multiple times, pre-melted, and topped off in order to achieve the final desired melt level/fill rate. When loading the crucible, do not load more than 80% of the height of the crucible liner.

This calculator is for estimation purposes only.

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Crucible Liner Volume (in cc):

Material:
-- Please Select -- Aluminum Aluminum Antimonide Aluminum Arsenide Aluminum Bromide Aluminum Carbide Aluminum Fluoride Aluminum Nitride Aluminum Oxide Aluminum Phosphide Aluminum, 1% Copper Aluminum, 1% Silicon Antimony Antimony Oxide Antimony Selenide Antimony Sulfide Antimony Telluride Arsenic Arsenic Oxide Arsenic Selenide Arsenic Sulfide Arsenic Telluride Barium Barium Chloride Barium Fluoride Barium Oxide Barium Sulfide Barium Titanate Beryllium Beryllium Carbide Beryllium Chloride Beryllium Fluoride Beryllium Oxide Bismuth Bismuth Fluoride Bismuth Oxide Bismuth Selenide Bismuth Sulfide Bismuth Telluride Bismuth Titanate Boron Boron Carbide Boron Nitride Boron Oxide Boron Sulfide Cadmium Cadmium Antimonide Cadmium Arsenide Cadmium Bromide Cadmium Chloride Cadmium Fluoride Cadmium Iodide Cadmium Oxide Cadmium Selenide Cadmium Sulfide Cadmium Telluride Calcium Calcium Fluoride Calcium Oxide Calcium Silicate Calcium Sulfide Calcium Titanate Calcium Tungstate Carbon Cerium Cerium (III) Oxide Cerium (IV) Oxide Cerium Fluoride Cesium Cesium Bromide Cesium Chloride Cesium Fluoride Cesium Hydroxide Cesium Iodide Chiolite Chromium Chromium (II) Bromide Chromium Boride Chromium Carbide Chromium Chloride Chromium Oxide Chromium Silicide Cobalt † Cobalt Bromide Cobalt Chloride Cobalt Oxide Copper Copper Chloride Copper Oxide Copper Sulfide Cryolite Dysprosium Dysprosium Fluoride Dysprosium Oxide Erbium Erbium Fluoride Erbium Oxide Europium Europium Fluoride Europium Oxide Europium Sulfide Gadolinium † Gadolinium Carbide Gadolinium Oxide Gallium Gallium Antimonide Gallium Arsenide Gallium Nitride Gallium Oxide Gallium Phosphide Germanium Germanium (II) Oxide Germanium (III) Oxide Germanium Nitride Germanium Telluride Glass, Schott^® 8329 Gold Hafnium Hafnium Boride Hafnium Carbide Hafnium Nitride Hafnium Oxide Hafnium Silicide Holmium Holmium Fluoride Holmium Oxide Inconel^® Indium Indium (I) Oxide Indium (I) Sulfide Indium (II) Sulfide Indium (II) Telluride Indium (III) Oxide Indium (III) Sulfide Indium (III) Telluride Indium Antimonide Indium Arsenide Indium Nitride Indium Phosphide Indium Selenide Indium Tin Oxide Iridium Iron (II) Oxide Iron (III) Oxide Iron † Iron Bromide Iron Chloride Iron Iodide Iron Sulfide Kanthal Lanthanum Lanthanum Boride Lanthanum Bromide Lanthanum Fluoride Lanthanum Oxide Lead Lead Bromide Lead Chloride Lead Fluoride Lead Iodide Lead Oxide Lead Selenide Lead Stannate Lead Sulfide Lead Telluride Lead Titanate Lithium Lithium Bromide Lithium Chloride Lithium Fluoride Lithium Iodide Lithium Niobate Lithium Oxide Lutetium Lutetium Oxide Magnesium Magnesium Aluminate Magnesium Bromide Magnesium Chloride Magnesium Fluoride Magnesium Iodide Magnesium Oxide Manganese Manganese (II) Oxide Manganese (III) Oxide Manganese (IV) Oxide Manganese Bromide Manganese Chloride Manganese Sulfide Mercury Mercury Sulfide Molybdenum Molybdenum Boride Molybdenum Carbide Molybdenum Oxide Molybdenum Silicide Molybdenum Sulfide Neodymium Neodymium Fluoride Neodymium Oxide Nichrome IV^® Nickel † Nickel Bromide Nickel Chloride Nickel Oxide Nickel/Iron † Nimendium † Niobium Niobium (II) Oxide Niobium (III) Oxide Niobium (V) Oxide Niobium Boride Niobium Carbide Niobium Nitride Niobium Telluride Niobium-Tin Osmium Osmium Oxide Palladium Palladium Oxide Parylene Permalloy^® † Phosphorus Phosphorus Nitride Platinum Platinum Oxide Plutonium Polonium Potassium Potassium Bromide Potassium Chloride Potassium Fluoride Potassium Hydroxide Potassium Iodide Praseodymium Praseodymium Oxide PTFE Radium Rhenium Rhenium Oxide Rhodium Rubidium Rubidium Chloride Rubidium Iodide Ruthenium Samarium Samarium Oxide Samarium Sulfide Scandium Scandium Oxide Selenium Silicon Silicon (II) Oxide Silicon (IV) Oxide Silicon (N-type) Silicon (P-type) Silicon Boride Silicon Carbide Silicon Nitride Silicon Selenide Silicon Sulfide Silicon Telluride Silver Silver Bromide Silver Chloride Silver Iodide Sodium Sodium Bromide Sodium Chloride Sodium Cyanide Sodium Fluoride Sodium Hydroxide Spinel Strontium Strontium Chloride Strontium Fluoride Strontium Oxide Strontium Sulfide Strontium Titanate Sulfur Supermalloy^® † Tantalum Tantalum Boride Tantalum Carbide Tantalum Nitride Tantalum Pentoxide Tantalum Sulfide Technetium Tellurium Terbium Terbium Fluoride Terbium Oxide Terbium Peroxide Thallium Thallium Bromide Thallium Chloride Thallium Iodide Thallium Oxide Thorium Thorium Bromide Thorium Carbide Thorium Fluoride Thorium Oxide Thorium Oxyfluoride Thorium Sulfide Thulium Thulium Oxide Tin Tin Oxide Tin Selenide Tin Sulfide Tin Telluride Titanium Titanium (II) Oxide Titanium (III) Oxide Titanium (IV) Oxide Titanium Boride Titanium Carbide Titanium Nitride Tungsten Tungsten Boride Tungsten Carbide Tungsten Disulfide Tungsten Oxide Tungsten Selenide Tungsten Silicide Tungsten Telluride Uranium Uranium (II) Sulfide Uranium (III) Oxide Uranium (IV) Oxide Uranium (IV) Sulfide Uranium Carbide Uranium Fluoride Uranium Phosphide Vanadium Vanadium (IV) Oxide Vanadium (V) Oxide Vanadium Boride Vanadium Carbide Vanadium Nitride Vanadium Silicide Ytterbium Ytterbium Fluoride Ytterbium Oxide Yttrium Yttrium Aluminum Oxide Yttrium Fluoride Yttrium Oxide Zinc Zinc Antimonide Zinc Bromide Zinc Fluoride Zinc Nitride Zinc Oxide Zinc Selenide Zinc Sulfide Zinc Telluride Zirconium Zirconium Boride Zirconium Carbide Zirconium Nitride Zirconium Oxide Zirconium Silicate Zirconium Silicide
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Density of the material in g/cm³:

Fill Rate %:

Result

See highlighted results that match your result in the table below.

Material Needed to Deposit a 1 Micron Film Calculator

Instructions for use:
Select source type, input distance from source to substrate and Select Material (if not available in menu, manually input Material Density in kg/m³).

This calculator is for estimation purposes only. The estimated mass is that needed to produce a desired film thickness (1 micron in this case) on a flat substrate at a point directly above the source, accounting for the approximate plume distribution of the selected source type. It does not account for any expected nonuniformity in thickness over a larger substrate area. More complex geometries, e.g. those with offset and/or tilted sources, may have higher material requirements. The estimated mass is for the film deposition only; additional margin should be included to account for loss during ramp-up, burn-in, stabilisation and ramp-down.

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Source:
Point Directional - Thermal Boat Directional - EBeam Directional - LTE/HTE

Distance of source to substrate (in cm):

Material:
-- Please Select -- Aluminum Aluminum Antimonide Aluminum Arsenide Aluminum Bromide Aluminum Carbide Aluminum Fluoride Aluminum Nitride Aluminum Oxide Aluminum Phosphide Aluminum, 1% Copper Aluminum, 1% Silicon Antimony Antimony Oxide Antimony Selenide Antimony Sulfide Antimony Telluride Arsenic Arsenic Oxide Arsenic Selenide Arsenic Sulfide Arsenic Telluride Barium Barium Chloride Barium Fluoride Barium Oxide Barium Sulfide Barium Titanate Beryllium Beryllium Carbide Beryllium Chloride Beryllium Fluoride Beryllium Oxide Bismuth Bismuth Fluoride Bismuth Oxide Bismuth Selenide Bismuth Sulfide Bismuth Telluride Bismuth Titanate Boron Boron Carbide Boron Nitride Boron Oxide Boron Sulfide Cadmium Cadmium Antimonide Cadmium Arsenide Cadmium Bromide Cadmium Chloride Cadmium Fluoride Cadmium Iodide Cadmium Oxide Cadmium Selenide Cadmium Sulfide Cadmium Telluride Calcium Calcium Fluoride Calcium Oxide Calcium Silicate Calcium Sulfide Calcium Titanate Calcium Tungstate Carbon Cerium Cerium (III) Oxide Cerium (IV) Oxide Cerium Fluoride Cesium Cesium Bromide Cesium Chloride Cesium Fluoride Cesium Hydroxide Cesium Iodide Chiolite Chromium Chromium (II) Bromide Chromium Boride Chromium Carbide Chromium Chloride Chromium Oxide Chromium Silicide Cobalt † Cobalt Bromide Cobalt Chloride Cobalt Oxide Copper Copper Chloride Copper Oxide Copper Sulfide Cryolite Dysprosium Dysprosium Fluoride Dysprosium Oxide Erbium Erbium Fluoride Erbium Oxide Europium Europium Fluoride Europium Oxide Europium Sulfide Gadolinium † Gadolinium Carbide Gadolinium Oxide Gallium Gallium Antimonide Gallium Arsenide Gallium Nitride Gallium Oxide Gallium Phosphide Germanium Germanium (II) Oxide Germanium (III) Oxide Germanium Nitride Germanium Telluride Glass, Schott^® 8329 Gold Hafnium Hafnium Boride Hafnium Carbide Hafnium Nitride Hafnium Oxide Hafnium Silicide Holmium Holmium Fluoride Holmium Oxide Inconel^® Indium Indium (I) Oxide Indium (I) Sulfide Indium (II) Sulfide Indium (II) Telluride Indium (III) Oxide Indium (III) Sulfide Indium (III) Telluride Indium Antimonide Indium Arsenide Indium Nitride Indium Phosphide Indium Selenide Indium Tin Oxide Iridium Iron (II) Oxide Iron (III) Oxide Iron † Iron Bromide Iron Chloride Iron Iodide Iron Sulfide Kanthal Lanthanum Lanthanum Boride Lanthanum Bromide Lanthanum Fluoride Lanthanum Oxide Lead Lead Bromide Lead Chloride Lead Fluoride Lead Iodide Lead Oxide Lead Selenide Lead Stannate Lead Sulfide Lead Telluride Lead Titanate Lithium Lithium Bromide Lithium Chloride Lithium Fluoride Lithium Iodide Lithium Niobate Lithium Oxide Lutetium Lutetium Oxide Magnesium Magnesium Aluminate Magnesium Bromide Magnesium Chloride Magnesium Fluoride Magnesium Iodide Magnesium Oxide Manganese Manganese (II) Oxide Manganese (III) Oxide Manganese (IV) Oxide Manganese Bromide Manganese Chloride Manganese Sulfide Mercury Mercury Sulfide Molybdenum Molybdenum Boride Molybdenum Carbide Molybdenum Oxide Molybdenum Silicide Molybdenum Sulfide Neodymium Neodymium Fluoride Neodymium Oxide Nichrome IV^® Nickel † Nickel Bromide Nickel Chloride Nickel Oxide Nickel/Iron † Nimendium † Niobium Niobium (II) Oxide Niobium (III) Oxide Niobium (V) Oxide Niobium Boride Niobium Carbide Niobium Nitride Niobium Telluride Niobium-Tin Osmium Osmium Oxide Palladium Palladium Oxide Parylene Permalloy^® † Phosphorus Phosphorus Nitride Platinum Platinum Oxide Plutonium Polonium Potassium Potassium Bromide Potassium Chloride Potassium Fluoride Potassium Hydroxide Potassium Iodide Praseodymium Praseodymium Oxide PTFE Radium Rhenium Rhenium Oxide Rhodium Rubidium Rubidium Chloride Rubidium Iodide Ruthenium Samarium Samarium Oxide Samarium Sulfide Scandium Scandium Oxide Selenium Silicon Silicon (II) Oxide Silicon (IV) Oxide Silicon (N-type) Silicon (P-type) Silicon Boride Silicon Carbide Silicon Nitride Silicon Selenide Silicon Sulfide Silicon Telluride Silver Silver Bromide Silver Chloride Silver Iodide Sodium Sodium Bromide Sodium Chloride Sodium Cyanide Sodium Fluoride Sodium Hydroxide Spinel Strontium Strontium Chloride Strontium Fluoride Strontium Oxide Strontium Sulfide Strontium Titanate Sulfur Supermalloy^® † Tantalum Tantalum Boride Tantalum Carbide Tantalum Nitride Tantalum Pentoxide Tantalum Sulfide Technetium Tellurium Terbium Terbium Fluoride Terbium Oxide Terbium Peroxide Thallium Thallium Bromide Thallium Chloride Thallium Iodide Thallium Oxide Thorium Thorium Bromide Thorium Carbide Thorium Fluoride Thorium Oxide Thorium Oxyfluoride Thorium Sulfide Thulium Thulium Oxide Tin Tin Oxide Tin Selenide Tin Sulfide Tin Telluride Titanium Titanium (II) Oxide Titanium (III) Oxide Titanium (IV) Oxide Titanium Boride Titanium Carbide Titanium Nitride Tungsten Tungsten Boride Tungsten Carbide Tungsten Disulfide Tungsten Oxide Tungsten Selenide Tungsten Silicide Tungsten Telluride Uranium Uranium (II) Sulfide Uranium (III) Oxide Uranium (IV) Oxide Uranium (IV) Sulfide Uranium Carbide Uranium Fluoride Uranium Phosphide Vanadium Vanadium (IV) Oxide Vanadium (V) Oxide Vanadium Boride Vanadium Carbide Vanadium Nitride Vanadium Silicide Ytterbium Ytterbium Fluoride Ytterbium Oxide Yttrium Yttrium Aluminum Oxide Yttrium Fluoride Yttrium Oxide Zinc Zinc Antimonide Zinc Bromide Zinc Fluoride Zinc Nitride Zinc Oxide Zinc Selenide Zinc Sulfide Zinc Telluride Zirconium Zirconium Boride Zirconium Carbide Zirconium Nitride Zirconium Oxide Zirconium Silicate Zirconium Silicide
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Density of the material in kg/m³:

Multiplier:

Mass for 1 micron layer