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When comparing the four main types of physical vapor deposition (PVD) for thin films, it is important to know the benefits and drawbacks of each before you decide which method will best suit your application. PVD can occur through sputtering (magnetron or ion beam), which utilizes energetic ions colliding with a target to eject (or sputter) target material, or evaporation (thermal resistive and e-beam), which relies on heating a solid source material past its vaporization temperature. Previously, we compared which PVD method to use based on its benefits. In this post, we will take a deeper dive into the technical pros, cons and common uses of each type of PVD technique.
Resistive thermal evaporation applies thermal energy from a resistive heat source to a solid-state material in a vacuum chamber, which evaporates the source. The vapor condenses on a substrate, forming a thin film of the source material. It is one of the most common and simplest forms of physical vapor deposition.
E-beam evaporation, another thermal evaporation process, uses an electron beam to focus a large amount of energy onto the source material in a water-cooled copper hearth or crucible. This produces a very high temperature, which allows metals and dielectrics with high melting temperatures (such as gold and silicon dioxide) to be vaporized, and then deposited on a substrate to form a thin film. E-beam evaporation has a better deposition rate than sputtering or resistive thermal evaporation.
Magnetron sputtering is a plasma-based coating method where positively charged energetic ions from a magnetically confined plasma collide with a negatively charged target material, ejecting (or &#;sputtering&#;) atoms from the target that are then deposited onto a substrate. This process occurs in a closed magnetic field to trap electrons and boost efficiency&#;creating plasma at lower pressures which reduce gas incorporation in the film and energy losses in the sputtered atom. This method produces good film quality and the highest scalability of any PVD type.
Ion beam sputtering (IBS) is a process where an an ion beam is focused on a target and sputters material onto a substrate. The process is monoenergetic and highly collimated as ions possess equal energy and directionality. This thin film deposition process results in the highest quality, densest films.
Whether deciding between thermal resistive evaporation, e-beam evaporation, magnetron sputtering or ion beam sputtering, there are a few technology criteria selections to consider. While sputtering (particularly ion beam sputtering) produces better film quality and uniformity&#;which can translate to higher yield&#; it is also more costly and complex than evaporation. On the other hand, when you&#;re doing high volume production and high throughput is required, evaporation offers higher deposition rates, but remember that scalability is limited. This makes evaporation ideal for large batch processing, while magnetron sputtering is better for highly automated high-volume production, particularly for thin films with short deposition times.
Any thin film PVD process decision must weigh the right balance of system cost, yield, throughput and film quality. If you need help making the right selection, contact us &#; we&#;re happy to guide you through the process.
The disadvantages of sputtering include:
1) Low deposition rates compared to other methods such as thermal evaporation.
2) Non-uniform deposition flux distribution, requiring moving fixturing to obtain films of uniform thickness.
3) Expensive sputtering targets and poor material use.
4) Most of the energy incident on the target becomes heat, which must be removed.
5) Gaseous contaminants can be activated in the plasma, leading to film contamination.
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6) Careful control of gas composition is required in reactive sputter deposition to prevent poisoning the target.
7) High capital expenses are required for sputtering equipment.
8) Relatively low deposition rates for some materials like SiO2.
9) Some materials, particularly organic solids, can be easily degraded by ionic bombardment.
10) Sputtering has a greater tendency to introduce impurities in the substrate compared to deposition by evaporation.
11) Difficulties in combining sputtering with lift-off for structuring the film, leading to potential contamination problems.
12) Active control for layer-by-layer growth is more challenging compared to other deposition techniques like pulsed laser deposition.
13) Sputter coating for SEM samples can result in altered surface topography and loss of atomic number-contrast in extreme cases.
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