Arc evaporation

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Arc evaporation or Arc-PVD (also arc evaporation , from English arc , arc ') is a coating method from the group of physical vapor deposition (PVD), more specifically an evaporation method .

The left picture shows the arc between the igniter and the cathode material, as well as the formation of an ecton. In the right picture, the resulting plasma torch with the emitted particles.

In this process, an arc burns between the chamber and the target, which is at negative potential . B. on a workpiece (the substrate ) to be applied target material melts and evaporates. The target acts as a cathode, the chamber wall of the vacuum chamber or a defined electrode acts as an anode. A large part (up to 90%) of the vaporized material is ionized . The material vapor (target material) spreads radially from the target , similar to thermal evaporation . Since a negative potential is also applied to the substrate, the ionized material vapor is also accelerated towards the substrate. The material vapor condenses on the substrate surface . Due to the high proportion of ionization, high kinetic energy can be introduced into the metal vapor through corresponding voltages on the substrate and target, so that a more or less strong sputtering effect can be achieved on the substrate . This is used, among other things, to influence the properties (layer adhesion, density, composition, etc.) of the deposited layer.

literature

  • Donald M. Mattox: Handbook of Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Processing: Film Formation, Adhesion, Surface Preparation and Contamination Control . Noyes Pubn, 1998, ISBN 0-8155-1422-0 .
  • André Anders: Cathodic Arcs - From Fractal Spots to Energetic Condensation . Springer, 2008, ISBN 978-0-387-79107-4 .
  • André Anders: The evolution of ion charge states in cathodic vacuum arc plasmas: a review . In: Plasma Sources Science and Technology . tape 21 , no. 3 , June 1, 2012, p. 035014 , doi : 10.1088 / 0963-0252 / 21/3/035014 ( draft version ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ W. König, R. Fritsch, O. Knotek, G. Krämer: Arc-PVD coating of hard metals and analysis of the functional behavior during machining in the interrupted cut . In: Materials Science and Technology . tape 24 , no. 3–4 , 2004, pp. 131–141 , doi : 10.1002 / mawe.19930240312 .