Process and apparatus for plasma activated depositions in a vacuum
AssigneeUniversity of Virginia Patent Foundation
InventorsJames F. Groves, Derek D. Hass, Haydn N. G. Wadley, Goesta Mattausch, Henry Morgner, Siegfried Schiller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Plasma deposition apparatus (1) and method that allows metal or nonmetal vapor (6) to be generated by electron-beam evaporation, guides that vapor using a noble gas stream (containing reactive gases in cases of reactive evaporation), ionizes the dense directed gas and vapor stream at working pressures above about 0.0001 mbar using a hollow cathode plasma arc discharge (11), and conveys the ionized vapor and/or gas stream towards the substrate (4) for impact on the surface at energies varying from thermal levels (as low as about 0.05 eV) up to about 300 eV.
Claims35
A process for plasma activated vapor deposition onto a substrate comprising:
- presenting a main gas and vapor stream to a chamber, wherein said chamber has an operating pressure of from about 1 microbar to about atmospheric pressure, said chamber further includes a substrate bias system capable of applying a DC or alternating potential to said substrate;
- impinging said gas and vapor stream with a working gas and low voltage electron beam generated by at least one hollow cathode arc plasma activation source to ionize said gas and vapor stream;
- and
- attracting said ionized gas and vapor stream to a substrate surface by allowing a self-bias of said ionized gas and vapor stream or said potential to pull the ionized stream to said substrate.
A process for preheating a substrate comprising:
- presenting a gas stream to a to a chamber, wherein said chamber has an operating pressure of from about 1 microbar to about atmospheric pressure, said chamber further includes a substrate bias system capable of applying a positive potential to said substrate;
- directing a low voltage electron beam generated by at least one of said hollow cathode arc plasma activation unit towards said substrate by means of collisions with the gas stream;
- and
- attracting the low voltage electrons from at least one hollow cathode arc plasma activation units to said substrate by applying a positive bias to said substrate.
A process for precleaning a substrate comprising:
- presenting a gas stream to a chamber, wherein said chamber has an operating pressure of from about 1 microbar to about atmospheric pressure and has coupled thereto a substrate bias system capable of applying a positive DC potential to said substrate;
- impinging the gas stream with a low voltage electron beam generated by at least one hollow cathode arc plasma activation source to ionize the gas stream;
- and
- attracting the ionized gas species from said ionized gas stream to said substrate by applying a negative DC or alternating bias to said substrate for energetic surface bombardment.
An apparatus for plasma activated substrate deposition onto a substrate, comprising:
- a vacuum chamber, wherein said chamber has an operating pressure of from about 1 microbar to about atmospheric pressure;
- an electron beam evaporation system providing a gas and vapor stream in said chamber, said gas and vapor stream guided towards said substrate;
- a substrate bias system capable of applying a DC or alternating potential to said substrate;
- at least one hollow cathode arc source generating a low voltage electron beam, each of said cathode arc source having at least one cathode orifice wherein a predetermined selection of said orifices are arranged in close proximity to the gas and vapor stream;
- and
- an anode is arranged opposite of said cathode source wherein the gas and vapor stream is there between said cathode source and said anode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.