Loading patent…
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsJames W. Patten, Edwin D. McClanahan, Michael A. Bayne
Estimating the term…
A line-of-sight method of depositing a film having substantially 100% of theoretical density on a substrate. A pressure vessel contains a target source having a surface thereof capable of emitting particles therefrom and a substrate with the source surface and the substrate surface positioned such that the source surface is substantially parallel to the direction of the particles impinging upon the substrate surface, the distance between the most remote portion of the substrate surface receiving the particles and the source surface emitting the particles in a direction parallel to the substrate surface being relatively small. The pressure in the vessel is maintained less than about 5 microns to prevent scattering and permit line-of-sight deposition. By this method the angles of incidence of the particles impinging upon the substrate surface are in the range of from about 45.degree. to 90.degree. even when the target surface area is greatly expanded to increase the deposition rate.
In a method of depositing a dense film of material on a substrate from a source of material at low pressure, said method comprising providing a source of material having a surface thereof capable of emitting particles therefrom and a substrate within a pressure vessel maintained at a pressure of less than about 5 microns, positioning the surface of the substrate receiving the particles substantially perpendicular to the source surface, and causing particles of the material to leave the source surface and impinge upon said substrate surface, the improvement comprising interposing a mask having an opening therein between said source and substrate so that all particles impinging on said substrate surface directly from said source have an angle of incidence to the substrate surface of between 60.degree. to 90.degree..
A method of depositing a dense film of material on a substrate from a source of the material at a pressure of less than about 5 microns, said method comprising providing a source of material having a surface capable of emitting particles therefrom and a substrate within a pressure vessel maintained at said pressure, the substrate surface receiving the particles and the source surface being positioned substantially perpendicular to each other and such that .theta. is in the range of about 1.degree. to about 5.degree. and .theta. is the angle between A and B where:
A method of depositing a dense film material on a substrate from a source of the material, said method comprising providing a pressure vessel housing a source of material having a plane surface thereof capable of emitting an adatom flux therefrom and a substrate, positioning the source surface and the substrate surface such that the plane of the source surface is substantially parallel to the direction of the particles impinging upon the substrate surface, the distance between the most remote point of said substrate surface receiving the adatom flux and the plane of said source surface emitting the adatom flux as measured in a direction perpendicular to the source surface being about 1/8 inch, and establishing and maintaining an ion plasma within said pressure vessel at a pressure of less than about 5 microns sufficient to cause an adatom flux to leave said source surface and impinge upon said substrate surface to deposit a coating at close to theoretical density at a rate of about 1 mil per hour.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.