MRMCD 2026

Vacuum Deposition Systems And You
11.09.2026 , Weltraum - C205
Language: English

So, you wanna make some bathtub transistors at your hackerspace? Then you'll probably need to use a vacuum coating system!

These are essential and ubiquitous in semiconductor manufacturing... But how do you get on cheap or build one from scratch? How do they work? Do they need a cleanroom and specialized tools? Let us tell you how we answered most of these questions at FAFO e.V.!


A talk by FAFO e.V., your friendly neighborhood (if you live in Munich) grassroots semiconductor lab.

In this presentation we'll talk about how we purchased and brought up a sputter coater, thermal deposition system and e-beam deposition system from Kleinanzeigen. We'll focus on the practical application of average hacker skills in a field usually described by purely theoretical papers, and hope to convince you that not only is this an accessible, but fun 'hobby'.

We plan to go over:

  1. What's in a vacuum coating system and how do you use it?
  2. How to buy and service cheap lab machines?
  3. How to work with high vacuum (plasma) systems?
  4. How to ship-of-theseus equipment from the 80s with new parts?
  5. How to use the above alongside silicon wafers from eBay and aluminum foil from EDEKA to make a Schottky diode?

Diese Einreichung verzichtet auf die Verwendung von KI:

Wannabe hardware hacker on the dangerous part of the Dunning-Kruger curve.

Co-founder of the Warsaw Hackerspace and FAFO e.V., member of Dragon Sector.

Hacks on iPods, electron microscopes and trains.

In spite of being a long time open source developer and contributor, maintainer of Void Linux, and creator of many small Linux utilities, as well as being a cofounder of FAFO e.V., Leah is mostly known for posting unfug on the Fediverse.

https://leahneukirchen.org/