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Thin Film Deposition System

Modular PVD System - The HEX Series (Korvus Technology, UK)

The HEX Series

Modular PVD Systems

With its uniquely modular architecture, the benchtop HEX series offers an unmatched level of user control, customisation and upgradability to researchers in thin-film deposition.

 

 


 

The HEX platform offers an unmatched level of user control and customisation, designed to incorporate the latest thin film technologies and performance into a bench-top PVD system.

 

In contrast to traditional PVD chambers, the open-frame architecture of the HEX gives users the freedom to reconfigure, upgrade and add their own instruments. So no matter which avenue scientific research calls you down, this system can get you there.

 

Concept

A compact and highly flexible range of deposition systems.

 

Design

The modular nature of the HEX Series' design mean that panels can be mounted onto the frame in a matter of minutes, with no specialist tools.

 

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The HEX Series

Thin Film Deposition

 

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Looking to implement thin film deposition into your organisation? Let us know what you’re looking for and we’d be happy to support.

Compact Thin Film Deposition Equipment

The HEX series of compact, thin film deposition systems provides a versatile range of deposition options for your research and implementation applications. To get started, you’re welcome to purchase the base model and upgrade to higher-level components to suit your needs as necessary. These upgrades are modular and simple to install, which reduces system downtime and installation costs.

The base HEX model comes with an 80 l/s pump that allows for base vacuums up to 8×10-7 mbar and allows for sample sizes up to 100 mm. The system also comes with a multi-sample holder that can accommodate several smaller samples simultaneously.

The system contains many upgrade options, including a 300 l/s pump that achieves a base vacuum of 4×10-7 mbar. Users may also opt for a larger HEX-L chamber with space for sample sizes up to 150 mm, or multiple smaller samples.

 

Modular Design for Rapid Re-Configuration

The HEX system consists of a six-sided aluminium-framed high-vacuum chamber that is lightweight yet rigid enough for most physical vapour deposition applications. The hexagonal structure supports six modular panels, including:

  • Blank panel
  • Viewport panel
  • Deposition source panel
  • PLD instrument process control panel including mass flow controllers and thickness control
  • QCM panel for in-situ monitoring

The design uses standardised fittings, including Hamlet quick connects for the gas and water connections and wing nuts for sample stage and component attachments. This standardisation makes it simple to switch out panels and adjust the system to a particular application. The modular design also makes maintenance and reconfiguration faster and more efficient.


 

Custom Solutions for Your Requirements

Every situation is going to be different. Get in touch with our team today and we’ll work together on finding the best solution for you.

 

 

Designed With Research and Development in Mind

The HEX system is ideal for research and development due to its modular nature. All essential elements are accessible, allowing testing of various components and thorough exploration of the processes involved in several thin-film deposition techniques, including:

Supported methodologies in the base model include:

  • Metal and photoresist lift-off process
  • EM sample preparation
  • New coating research and development
  • Magnetron sputtering deposition optimisation

Should your use case require additional functionality, the HEX system contains many other modules that expand the scope of the system for most thin film deposition processes.

 

 

The HEX Series

Thin Film Deposition

 

The HEX Thin Film Deposition System Sources 

TAU E-Beam Evaporation System
ORCA Organic Evaporation System
TES Thermal Evaporation System
 
Fission DC and RF Sputtering System

 

Our Thin Film Deposition FAQs

Thin film deposition refers to any technique where a very thin film of material, usually only a few atoms thick, covers a particular substrate. What makes this process attractive is the versatility and range of both the coating and target material, which allows the coating to improve or alter the substrate’s performance. Common applications include making the substrate scratch-resistant, making it more or less electrically conductive, or improving on a substrate’s durability.

The two primary methods of thin film deposition systems rely on either a physical evaporation process or chemical reactions to atomise the source material before bonding it to the substrate layer by layer. Physical processes rely on very low pressures on a resistive heat source to produce the required vapour pressure, while chemical processes use reactive gas and another precursor gas. When the two gases interact on the substrate, a chemical reaction occurs that results in an even film without the need for spin coating methods that may influence thickness or purity.

 

Thin film deposition techniques fall into two broad categories: physical vapour deposition (PVD) and chemical vapour deposition (CVD).

Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD)

PVD relies on mechanical, electromechanical, or thermodynamic processes to coat the target material with the atomised film. The most common technique involves vaporising a solid material in a high-vacuum deposition chamber and then depositing that material onto a substrate material. Physical deposition produces a highly durable, corrosion-resistant film that changes the properties of the substrate. Vapourisation methods include:

Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD)

CVD relies on volatile precursor chemicals in the gas phase to create a chemical reaction that results in a thin layer of deposited film on the substrate surface. Standard methods for chemical deposition include:

  • Atmospheric pressure CVD
  • Low-pressure CVD
  • Ultra-high vacuum CVD
  • Atomic layer deposition
  • Plasma-enhanced CVD

 

Thin films allow manufacturers to change or enhance the properties of the substrate. The evaporated material may provide additional durability or confer a new property on the substrate, such as conductivity.

 

The main advantage of thin metal films is their versatility. Thin-film applications can vary in film thickness (ranging from one atomic layer to multiple layers), coating material (organic compounds, pure metal and almost anything in between), and substrates (ranging from a silicon wafer up to solar panels and biomedical implants).

Thin films are critical to:

  • Opto-electronics such as consumer electronic devices, optical filters, and LED displays
  • Precision optics such as focal plane arrays and anti-reflectivity/high reflectivity coatings
  • Semiconductors such as photodetectors, RF power transistors, focal plane arrays and LEDs
  • Medical applications such as biocompatible hard coatings for implants
  • Decorative coatings for ceramics and cutlery