Synopsis: NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGY: Scientists at NASA Langley Research Center have developed an enhanced sputtering process that addresses some of the weaknesses of conventional metal deposition sputtering. The conventional sputtering process has emerged as one of the major deposition techniques for thin film coating practices in research and industrial production. The process is limited by low deposition rates and low kinetic energy of the sputtered atoms. This not only slows the time required to sputter a film, it lowers the purity of the sputtered film. The Molten Target Sputtering (MTS) method can increase the kinetic energy, the energy latency, and the flux density of sputtered atoms by combining the benefits of both magnetron sputtering and evaporation systems. It does this by a clever, but simple mechanical modification to the magnetron sputtering gun. For the MTS method, a simple 1~2mm (depth and width) ring-shaped groove is cut between the magnets in order to keep a gap between the copper plate and the sputtering target. This effectively is an efficiency increase to a current magnetron based sputtering machine. The ring enhances the magnetic field intensity and increases the temperature of the target material. A key difference in design between a conventional sputtering gun and the MTS gun seems very minor, but the ring-shaped groove between magnets allows for trapping a portion of magnetic field within the groove. A trapped field creates an additive force to expel the ionized particles (atoms and molecules combined within plasma) by increasing their kinetic energy. The ring groove also serves to increase the target material temperature because the conduction passage of thermal energy to the water-cooled copper sink is interrupted by the empty space of a ring groove below the target. Accordingly, the target surface material is heated to a higher temperature, which in turn increases the flux density by more easily liberating the atoms from the target. The MTS enables the growth of high quality thin ( 100m) films with the molten target and plasma. The degree of precise formation of rhombohedral film structures on a sapphire substrate is greatly improved. This leads to higher quality crystals with higher yield. In conventional techniques a pre-processor is required to elevate the sapphire wafer temperature through a 2-4 hour thermal soak process. These high temperatures, typically 890 deg. C, are costly and burdensome in a production facility. The MTS process can enable the sputtering temperatures to operate at 500 deg. C and still produce superior quality films. NASA is seeking to license this technology commercially in the United States. US Patent pending. To express interest in this opportunity, please respond to
[email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. Please also provide how you foresee using the technology along with a brief background of your company. Additionally, please identify any non-US interests/subsidiaries in your company as well. For more information about licensing other NASA Langley-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Langley's Technology Gateway at https://technologygateway.nasa.gov/ These responses are provided to members of NASA Langley's Office of Strategic Analysis and Business Development "OSACB" for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. If direct licensing interest results from this posting, OSACB will follow the required formal licensing process of posting in the Federal Register. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.