Erbium is a chemical element in the lanthanide series, with the symbol Er and atomic number 68. A silvery-white solid metal when artificially isolated, natural erbium is always found in chemical combination with other elements on Earth.
It is a rare earth element associated with several other rare elements in the mineral gadolinite from Ytterby in Sweden, which Yttrium, Ytterbium, and Terbium were also named after Ytterby.
Erbium sputtering target is a silver metal target made of high-purity Erbium (Er) metal. It has a melting point of 1529°C, a boiling point of 2863°C, and a density of 9.06g/cm3. Pure erbium metal is malleable (or easily shaped), soft yet stable in air, and does not oxidize as quickly as some other rare-earth metals.