How to apply the shadow mask on a sample? Should I just tape it on top of the sample surface?
Most of our customers use Kapton Tape. Some use weights.
I see that your shadow masks are nominally brass with a nickel coating, with thickness varying from 0.002″-0.01″. Does this mean that the thickness of the mask can vary in thickness by this much over its area? Or are these the options of mask thickness we can choose from? If the latter, is 0.005″ the standard thickness?
5-mil and 10-mil standard thickness. We strongly suggest not going below .005” thick (very delicate).
Do you coat the gold on top of the nickel-covered brass? And with the Pyromark flat black paint, is that also a coating on top of the nickel? Also, what are the advantages of using the pyromark? I am planning on depositing titanium with evaporation using this mask; will the coatings/mask be able to thermally withstand the evaporation? If you have any recommendations as to what coating option we should use, please let me know.
We can encapsulate the substrate in Au, Ni, or both. Pryomark is an optical black coating for VIS and IR wavelengths. As far as temperature [...]
When I order photomasks I have an order form that I use to list my specifications (i.e what layers to use, critical dimensions, mask polarity, etc.). Is there analogous form for ordering shadow masks? If not, how should I list my mask specifications and what specific information should I be providing?
We don’t use a mask order form for shadow masks. We would just need how many you need? What is the smallest feature size on [...]
I have features on my shadow mask design that need to be ~1mm away from the mask edge; is this possible to accommodate?
We need at least 1mm from the mask edge.
How is the edge profile of the patterned features? I see from the images on your website that the edge is very thin. Is that the nickel coating? How far does that thin feature extend, and is it enough to not reduce feature size if depositing at an angle?
Yes, the edge on the website is nickel coating. The backside (or blurb-side) is around 70 microns per edge, plus the thickness of material. The [...]
How do you deliver the shadowmask? In what kind of package?
We deliver the masks sandwiched between glass.
If I need to order more of the same shadow masks, can the tooling charge be skipped next time?
Tooling charges are not charged for re-orders.
PSI prefers to use (nickel-plated brass) shadow mask material. How often this was used for PVD sputtering process?
Our bi-metal shadowmasks are used in both sputtering, and evaporative systems.
Will the control-side brass with Ni foil shadow masks have dimensions within tolerance of the mask drawings?
Yes, that is correct.
Do you have any recommendations for cleaning thinner shadowmask substrates? Are there processes that we should avoid using (i.e. sonication) for 0.002″ thick brass base substrates?
That really depends upon the type of material deposition. The mask is fairly robust and can withstand most cleaning methods as long as care is [...]