Plasma enhanced ion plating system

Abstract

An anode plasma enhanced ion plating deposition system for high quality rapid deposition was constructed and investigated. This system is based on the modified multipurpose vacuum station VUP-5, however may be adopted for any other construction. Vacuum chamber base pressure was kept below 2/spl times/10/sup -5/ Torr. System configuration of the novel ion plating is similar to the conventional vacuum thermal evaporation system but the deposition process is different. In the proposed process gaseous forced discharge in the steams of the evaporated materials is used. The heating filament of the crucible, containing the material to be evaporated, is used as the hot electron source. When the filament temperature is sufficient for the material to evaporate, the electrons irradiated from the filament generate ion flux from the material steam. In order to increase electron concentration in the flux a quasi-homogeneous magnetic field, made of two permanent magnets, with a magnetic field of /spl sim/1000 Oe, positioned in the vacuum chamber is applied. The DC voltage varies between 0 V to 3000 V. This system is also equipped with a gas inlet line to let a glow discharge to be generated with inert or reactive gas. The main advantage of this novel development lie in its ability to obtain stoichiometric films as alloys, compounds, and new materials which are products of the reaction between ions of reactive gas and ions of evaporated materials. The ion plating system is axis-symmetrical.