Sputtering is another way of physical vapor deposition technology.

What is sputtering technology?

Sputtering is another way of physical vapor deposition technology. Sputtering is a technology in which the target material is bombarded from the surface by ions. Inert gases, such as argon, are charged into the vacuum chamber. By using high voltage, glow discharge is generated to accelerate the ion to the target surface. The argon ion bombards (sputters) the target material from the surface and deposits it on the workpiece in front of the target. Usually, other gases, such as nitrogen and acetylene, are also needed to react with the sputtered target material to form a compound film. Sputtering technology can prepare a variety of coatings, and has many advantages in decorative coatings (such as Ti, Cr, Zr and carbonitride). Because the coating prepared by it is very smooth, this advantage makes sputtering technology also widely used in the tribology field of the automobile market (such as CrN, Cr2N and various diamond (DLC) coatings). High-energy ions bombard the target material, extract atoms and convert them into gaseous state. Using magnetron sputtering technology, a large number of materials can be sputtered.

Advantages of sputtering technology:

+The target is water-cooled to reduce thermal radiation

+Almost any metal material can be sputtered as a target without decomposition

+The insulating material can also be sputtered by using RF or IF power supply

+Preparation of oxide becomes possible (reactive sputtering)

+Good coating uniformity

+The coating is very smooth (no droplets)

+The cathode (up to 2m long) can be placed anywhere, improving the flexibility of equipment design

Disadvantages of sputtering technology:

-Lower deposition rate compared with arc technology

-Compared with the arc, the plasma density is lower (~5%), and the coating adhesion and coating density are lower

There are many forms of sputtering technology. Here we will explain some of them. These sputtering technologies can be realized on the vacuum coating equipment produced by Zhicheng Vacuum Technology.

+Magnetron sputtering uses a magnetic field to maintain the plasma in front of the target, strengthen the ion bombardment and improve the plasma density.

+UBM sputtering is the abbreviation of unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Use the enhanced magnetic field coil to strengthen the plasma density near the workpiece. A more dense coating can be obtained. Higher energy is used in the UBM process, so the temperature will rise accordingly.

+Closed field sputtering uses the magnetic field distribution to limit the plasma in the closed field. Reduce the loss of target material to the vacuum chamber and make the plasma closer to the workpiece. A dense coating can be obtained and the vacuum chamber can be kept relatively clean.

+Twin target sputtering (DMS) is a technology used to deposit insulator coatings. Alternating current (AC) acts on two cathodes instead of direct current (DC) between cathode and vacuum chamber. This enables the target to have self-cleaning function. Twin target magnetron sputtering is used to deposit oxide coatings at high speed.

+HIPIMS+(high power pulsed magnetron sputtering) uses a high pulse power supply to improve the ionization rate of the sputtered material. The coating prepared by HIPIMS+has the advantages of both arc technology and sputtering technology. HIPIMS+forms a dense coating with good coating adhesion, and is also an atomic-level smooth and defect-free coating.