How PVD works

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is a thin film deposition technique used to create coatings or thin films on substrates in a variety of industries, including semiconductor, optics, aerospace, and automotive. In PVD, material is transferred from a solid (target/source) to a substrate in a vacuum environment, without going through a liquid phase.

Basics of PVD

PVD takes place in a vacuum chamber to eliminate the presence of air and other contaminants, ensuring the purity and quality of the deposited films. There are two main methods used in PVD: evaporation and sputtering.

Evaporation:

• In this method, the material to be deposited is heated until it reaches its vaporization temperature, causing atoms or molecules to be released into the vacuum chamber. These vaporized particles then condense onto the substrate, forming a thin film.

Sputtering:

• Sputtering involves bombarding a solid target material with energetic ions, typically from a plasma, causing atoms from the target to be ejected. These ejected atoms deposit onto the substrate, forming a thin film. Magnetron sputtering is a common variant of this process, which uses a magnetic field to enhance efficiency and control the deposition.

The substrate onto which the thin film is deposited is carefully prepared to ensure good adhesion and desired properties of the thin film. This may involve cleaning, preheating, or applying a seed layer.

During deposition, the film thickness, composition, and other properties can be controlled by adjusting parameters such as power, substrate temperature, and pressure.

PVD is used to deposit a wide range of materials, including metals, semiconductors, ceramics, and polymers, onto various substrates such as glass, silicon, metals, and plastics.

It finds applications in diverse fields such as electronics, optics, packaging, automotive, medical devices, and decorative coatings.

PVD offers several advantages over other deposition techniques, including high purity, precise control over film thickness and composition, excellent adhesion, uniformity, and the ability to coat complex shapes and small features. Despite its versatility, PVD also has limitations, such as restricted deposition rates compared to some other techniques and limitations on the types of materials that can be deposited.

How Magnetron Sputtering Works

Magnetron sputtering is a widely used physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique employed in the manufacturing of thin films on substrates in various industries such as semiconductor, optics, and electronics. It relies on the principle of sputtering, which is the process of ejecting atoms or molecules from a solid target material due to bombardment by energetic ions.

Here's a detailed explanation of how magnetron sputtering works:

• In a typical magnetron sputtering setup, a vacuum chamber is used to create a low-pressure environment to avoid gas molecules interfering with the sputtering process. Inside the chamber, there are two main components: a cathode (target) made of the material to be deposited and an anode (substrate) where the thin film will be deposited.

• The material to be deposited (the target) is typically placed on the cathode. This target can be made of various metals, ceramics, or other materials depending on the desired properties of the thin film. The target material must have good electrical conductivity to facilitate the sputtering process.

• A small amount of inert gas, such as argon, is introduced into the vacuum chamber. This inert gas serves as the medium for the sputtering process. It is important that the gas atoms do not react with the target material or the substrate.

• A high-voltage electric field is applied between the cathode (target) and the anode (substrate). This electric field ionizes the inert gas atoms, creating positively charged ions. These ions are accelerated towards the cathode (target) due to the potential difference.

• When the positively charged ions approach the cathode (target) surface, they gain sufficient energy to dislodge atoms from the target material through a collision process. This dislodging of atoms from the target is called sputtering. The ejected atoms are then free to travel in the vacuum chamber.

• In magnetron sputtering, a magnetic field is introduced parallel to the target surface. This magnetic field confines the electrons near the target surface, increasing the probability of ionization and enhancing the efficiency of the sputtering process. The magnetic field also creates a spiraling motion of the electrons, increasing the plasma density near the target surface.

• The ejected atoms from the target material travel across the vacuum chamber and deposit onto the substrate (anode) surface. The substrate is typically cooled to promote the formation of a thin film with desired properties. The thickness and properties of the thin film can be controlled by adjusting parameters such as sputtering time, target material composition, gas pressure, and substrate temperature.