Physical Vapour Deposition Systems PVD

We are the exclusive UK distributor for Alliance Concept of France. Alliance Concept manufacture on Physical Vapour Deposition systems (PVD). This means that the deposited thin films achieved in their systems are typically measured under the micron scale, in the nanometre unit. This PVD family includes techniques such as Magnetron Sputtering and Thermal Evaporation. Retrofit and upgrade of existing systems from a range of different manufacturers is available.

The following technologies are available:

• Vacuum Evaporation
• Sputtering
• Cluster Tools
• Metalisation
• Plasma Treatment
• Ion Beam Polishing
• Retrofit

Magnetron Sputtering

The sputtering process starts by creating a glow discharge between two polarized electrodes. This discharge, created under vacuum conditions leads to ignition of a cold plasma composed of charged particles (electrons, ions, photons) and neutrals (atoms).

The electric field generated by the potential difference between the electrodes causes positively charged plasma particles to collide with a cathode (target). This bombardment causes sputtering of atoms or clusters of atoms of the target which then condense on the substrate.

The plasma gas commonly used for this technology is Argon. Its atomic mass, neutrality (full valence shell), and its cost make it the ideal candidate.

In summary we have:

• Collision of incident ions with the target which results in a transfer of kinetic energy into the target,
• Results: emitting atoms or aggregates with a kinetic energy which will condensate onto the substrate, leading to the growth of a thin film of target material.

Sputtering is commonly used in the world of micro and nanotechnologies and nowadays, the number of applications is increasing. Sputtering is a clean technology that offers a real alternative to wet treatments.

Our Sputterers

The following instruments are avaliable. Contact us if you have bespoke requirements that cannot be matched to the instruments here.

AC450 research and development oriented equipment for sputter deposition

• 450mm chamber diameter
• Sputter up or down
• Load lock: manual or motorised
• Planar (4 x 100mm) or convergent (3 x 100mm) configuration
• Substrate holder cooled and/or heated (up to 800 degrees C)
• RF, DC or DC+ power supplies for sputtering
• RF polarization of the substrate holder for etching phases of the surface before deposition and / or bias deposition
• Dry or rotary vane rough pumping
• Turbomolecular or cryogenic secondary pumping

DP650 versatile system for R&D or industrial applications of sputter deposition

• 650mm chamber diameter
• Flagship product!
• Can accommodate 4 x 200mm sources or up to 6 x 100mm sources
• Load lock: manual or motorised
• Through the wall installation possible
• Robust and reliable
• Cost effective
• Turbomolecular or cryogenic secondary pumping

DP850 production system for industrial applications of sputter deposition

• 850mm chamber diameter
• Can accommodate up to 6 x 200mm magnetron cathodes
• Load lock: manual or motorised
• Through the wall installation possible
• Enables manufacturing of complex multilayers in automatic mode
• Turbomolecular or cryogenic secondary pumping

DP1100 for sputter deposition of uniform coatings on 200mm substrates

• 1100mm chamber diameter
• Equipped with 300mm cathodes
• Load lock: manual or motorised
• Through the wall installation possible
• Turbomolecular or cryogenic secondary pumping

LINE440 inline sputter deposition equipment

• 450mm chamber width
• Horizontal movement of substrate under magnetron sputtering sources
• Activation by surface etching
• Load lock: manual or motorised
• Heating (up to 600 degrees C)
• 4 or more sources in configuration
• Turbomolecular or cryogenic secondary pumping

LINE1500 for uniform sputter deposition on 1m² substrates

• 1.5m customer made magnetron sources
• Horizontal substrate feeding
• Double face deposition possible
• Modular design allows combination of several deposition modules
• External load lock option
• Demonstration system available
• Heating (up to 300 degrees C)

LINE2000 for uniform sputter deposition on large 2m² substrates

• Equiped with 8 x 2.5m long cathodes
• Deposition of complex multilayer stacks on substrates up to 2m x 2m
• Substrate weight up to 1.5 tons
• External cassette holder option

DECORA760 for sputter deposition onto 3D complex parts

• 760mm chamber diameter
• Substrate weight up to 1.5 tons
• External cassette holder option
• Through the wall installation possible
• Turbomolecular or cryogenic secondary pumping

WD1500 for roll to roll sputtering

• 1500mm chamber diameter
• 600mm substrate width

Vacuum Evaporators

Unlike the sputtering method which is based on a mechanical principle (ion bombardment), vacuum evaporation is based on a thermal principle. Heating allows a source material to reach melting point and then in a second stage its vaporization point.

The vacuum evaporation process is based on two principles : evaporating a heated material and the solid-state condensation of the evaporated material onto the substrate.

The heating of the material can be produced by several techniques:

• Joule effect: applying a current (typically a few hundreds of amperes) in the material to be heated and after evaporated,
• Electron beam (electron gun),
• Effusion.

These technologies allow the deposition of very precise film with low thickness. They are also very reproducible and extra clean. No effluents are produced from the equipment.

Our Vacuum Evaporation Systems

EVA300 compact R&D vacuum evaporation deposition system

• 300mm chamber diameter
• Chamber can receive multiple desposition sources both in evaporation and sputtering

EVA450 vacuum evaporation R&D or production tool

• 450mm chamber diameter
• Mono or multi pocket sources
• Electron beam source
• Thermal source (Joule, effusion)
• Through the wall installation possible
• Load lock option
• Turbomolecular or cryogenic secondary pumping

EVA600 between EVA450 and EVA760 vacuum evaporation R&D or production tool

• 600mm chamber diameter
• Through the wall installation possible

EVA760 vacuum evaporator customizable for complex configurations

• 760mm chamber diameter
• Generously sized pumping system ensures high throughput
• 10 x 6" on single wafer configuration
• 18 x 6" on planetary holder configuration

Other Vacuum Instruments

P300 cold plasma surface cleaning and activation

The first step of any surface treatment consists of a phase of cleaning and/or surface activation.

The P300 is a versatile plasma surface activation system from Alliance Concept. Microwave, LF Low Frequency or RF Radio Frequency are all available depending on the exact application required. Each system is fully customisable and easy to use.

• Chamber dimensions: 300 x 300 x 300mm
• Chamber material: Stainless steel with front door
• Ultimate vacuum (turbomolecular configuration): 5.10^-6 mbar*
• Ultimate vacuum (rough pumping configuration): 5.10^-2 mbar*
• Through the wall configuration: Yes (or stand alone in lab)
• Fully automatic system controller: External process management, log
• *Vacuum measured on previously delivered system and should be used for information only.