Technology

Thermal Evaporation
In evaporation a material is heated in vacuum until it boils, the resulting vapour then condenses on the substrate to form a thin film. This film can be from a few atoms thick (less than 1nm) to hundreds or thousands of nm thick. Thermal evaporation is carried out at high vacuum, typically better than 1x10-6 mbar.For materials with higher melting points which cannot be easily evaporated by resistive heating the e-beam evaporation processes are used. Resistance evaporation systems pass a high electrical current through a filament or a ‘boat’ source in which the material is placed, the heating effect of which is sufficient to evaporate many materials. Electron beam sources use a dedicated power supply to provide a high-power electron beam to heat the source material, and are capable of evaporating higher melting point or reactive materials.
Related Products
BT 150, BT 300
Auto 306
Forensic VMD
ATS 500
Glovebox systems
TF 600
TF 800, TF 1400

Electron Beam
Electron beam (e-beam) sources are used for the evaporation of materials which have melting points above 1800C or which react with evaporation boats or filaments. Sources typically have a turret which can accommodate 4 to 8 crucibles which can be selected for multi-layer films. E-beam can be used in small systems like the Auto306 and is commonly used in large deposition tools for optics and ophthalmics where simultaneous ion-beam process is often applied. Electron beam sources range from 3kW to over 20kW
Related Products
Auto 306
ATS 500
TF 600
TF 800, TF 1400

Ion Beam Technology
Ion beam sources convert a process gas into a stream of gas ions using an external high voltage power supply and an internal cathode. The output ion beam is typically parallel or divergent, with parallel beams being used to sputter a material target with high-energy ions, and divergent beams being used to bombard a large-area work holder with lower energy ions to compact or modify the growing film during a deposition process. Ion sources are available in a wide range of sizes and with a range of options for cathode design, neutraliser construction and RF or DC operation.Ion sources require the use of high-throughput vacuum systems.
Related Products
ATS 500
TF 600
TF 800, TF 1400

Magnetron Sputtering
Magnetron sputtering employs plasma to generate ions which bombard the surface of a ‘target’ which then sputters the thin film material on to a substrate. HHV offers a range of circular and linear magnetron sputter sources, engineered to meet R&D and production requirements. HHV offers a full range of circular and linear magnetron sputter sources which are engineered to meet specific and stringent R&D and production requirements. It uses well proven designs providing ease of use, with excellent target utilization, deposited film uniformity and reliability.
Related Products
BT 150, BT 300
Auto 306
ATS 500
Glovebox systems
TF 600
TF 800, TF 1400

Sample Holders

A range of work holders covers rotation through heating, biasing, tilting and options for z-shifting for use with HHV’s load lock and transfer systems. Transferable substrate carriers are available which allow the heaters to accommodate either full size substrates or a number of small samples.Auto306 is available with quartz lamp heating and water cooling, while models from Auto500 upwards have options for higher temperature heating plus biasing and more extensive cooling options.

Vacuum Equipment Manufacturer | Thin Film Technology

SUBSTRATE ROTATION

Options such as rotary, planar planetary, Knudsen planetary, glancing angle deposition (GLAD), and substrate flip mechanism. Substrate rotation can also be supplemented by source masking to ensure uniform depositions.

Atomic Layer Deposition | Reactive Ion Etching Systems

BIASING

RF or DC biasing is optional for fixed and rotating models and permits both substrate pre-cleaning and simultaneous, low energy ion bombardment during deposition to enhance adhesion, film density and film properties. Reactive gas injection rings and manual or motorized positioning are also available on selected models.

Ion Beam Technology | Thermal Evaporation System

HEATING

Substrate heating is available with options offering to 1000C. Substrate coolers with the ability to keep substrates between 80K and 80C using LN2, water or cool air are also available.

Atomic Layer Deposition | Thin Film Technology

LINEAR Z-SHIFT

Provides the option to change source to sample distance up to 150mm. This feature is useful to determine optimum deposition conditions and facilitate substrate transfers between chambers.

LOAD LOCKS

Load-locks allow samples to be transferred into the process chamber without it being vented. This enables the user to reduce cycle times and potential contamination of the chamber and source materials.

Vacuum Equipment Manufacturer | Ion Beam Technology

TRANSFER

Linear transfers are available with manual or motorized actuation. These allow for in-situ transfer of samples between different chambers.

Vacuum Equipment Manufacturer | Optical Thin Film Coatings

ROBOTICS

Specialized high vacuum compatible multi-axis robot with external teaching facility to map contours and uniformly coat complex components.

Film Thickness Monitor and Process Control
A film thickness monitor uses a quartz crystal microbalance to measure the deposition rate and total thickness of the film during deposition. Film thickness monitors can also operate source shutters for end-point termination.
Film thickness controllers also display the deposition rate and total thickness but are capable of controlling the deposition sources to provide a user-defined rate and thickness. These controllers are ideal for multi-layer films and for production applications. We offer film thickness monitors and controllers to suit different customer applications and budgets. We also supply spare monitor crystals.