Fabrication of Cylindrical Sputtering Apparatus and Application to Aluminum Coating on Thin Carbon Rods

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to prepare a high strength FRM. Aluminum covering was carried out over carbon materials such as CF in order to increase their wettability to molten metals such as aluminum. A sputtering apparatus with a cylindrical target was fabricated to carry out the covering. Sputtering was caused by glow discharge between the target (aliminum cylinder) and the two anode plates attached to its top and bottom. As the substrate for priliminaly test, a thin carbon rod (lead of mechanical pencil, 0.3 mm in diameter) was used instead of CF, and the rod was placed at the central axis of the target. Aluminum coating was formed on the whole surface of the substrate. The formation rate and structure of coating were varied by controlling the electrical potential of substrate. When the substrate was electrically isolated, coating with columnar structure was formed with a formation rate of 15μm/hr. In case of grounded substrate, coating with amorphous structure was formed with a formation rate of 7μm/hr.