There are many kinds of magnetron sputtering coating technologies, including DC magnetron sputtering, intermediate frequency magnetron sputtering, and radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The difference, today, the editor of Huicheng Vacuum will explain to you the principle of intermediate frequency sputtering used by the intermediate frequency magnetron sputtering vacuum coating machine. I hope it can help you:

        The advantage of using intermediate frequency sputtering is that it can be smooth and dense. The hardness of the film layer is high. The film thickness can grow linearly. No poisoning. Multi-arc sputtering applies a small voltage and a large current to the target to ionize the material (positively charged particles), thereby hitting the substrate (negatively charged) at a high speed and deposit, forming a dense film hard film. Mainly used for wear and corrosion resistant films. The disadvantage is that the positive and negative electric shocks cause uneven film, holes and ablation.
        The principle of intermediate frequency sputtering is the same as that of general DC sputtering. The difference is that DC sputtering uses the cylinder as an anode, while intermediate frequency sputtering is paired. Whether the cylinder participates in must depend on the overall design, and the whole system During the sputtering process, the arrangement of the anode and the cathode is related, and there are many ways to participate in the ratio cycle. Different methods can obtain different sputtering yields and different ion densities.
The main technology of intermediate frequency sputtering lies in the design and application of power supply. At present, the more mature output methods are sine wave and pulse square wave. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. First, we should consider the type of film layer and analyze which power output method is suitable for which type. The film layer, you can use the power supply characteristics to get the desired film layer effect.
       Intermediate frequency sputtering is also a kind of magnetron sputtering. Generally, the design of magnetron sputtering target and the design of magnetic field are the focus of various technologies. Several famous sputtering target manufacturers in the world are quite professional in the design of target magnetic field. Changing the magnetic field design can get different plasma evaporation. The path of electrons and the distribution of plasma, so the magnetic field of sputtering target is the technical secret of each company.
Regarding cathode arc (that is, ion plating), magnetron sputtering, and crucible evaporation are all PVD (physical vapor deposition), crucible evaporation is mainly a phase change, and the evaporation target has only a few electron volts of energy. Therefore, the film adhesion is small, but the deposition rate is high, and it is mostly used for optical coating. In magnetron sputtering, argon ions impact the target material to deposit atomic and molecular fragments of the target material on the parts, and the kinetic energy of the target material can reach hundreds or even thousands of electron volts. It is a truly neutral nano-scale coating. After the cathode arc starts, the high temperature of the target surface melts the material metallurgically, and the strong electric field then almost completely ionizes the melted material, forming a film under the combined action of the target power supply and the bias voltage of the part. It seems that cathodic arc plating is more advanced, but it is not. First of all, the melting process of the target surface is very random and uncontrollable, and the ions are plated on the parts in clusters. The uniformity and smoothness of the plated parts are difficult to guarantee. Generally speaking, cathode arc plating is a welding process under vacuum, and the cathode arc power supply and welding power supply are very similar in principle. Cathode arc technology mainly originates from the former Soviet Union. It is popular in my country for various reasons. Simple power supply is a big factor. But technology keeps improving. In recent years, the technology of filtering cathodic arc has developed rapidly, which avoids the disadvantage of uneven film formation.
       There are some recent international trends worth noting. One is that the non-equilibrium magnetron sputtering method has developed rapidly in large-scale coating equipment companies, especially European companies, and has begun large-scale industrial applications; the other is some companies in the United States. Magnetron sputtering has made great progress. The deposition rate of its plated oxide and nitride films almost reaches the metal rate.
       The intermediate frequency magnetron sputtering vacuum coating machine has high requirements on the design of the target and the magnetic field and the working air pressure. The intermediate frequency magnetron sputtering is 2 to 3 times the deposition rate of the DC magnetron sputtering. Intermediate frequency magnetron sputtering works with two targets to prepare compound films. Due to its low ionization rate, it is difficult to find an optimal poisoning point, and the flow control of working gas is very strict. If the control is not good, it is difficult to prepare a uniform and good bonding film layer. Then, the design of the magnetic field is mainly about the uniformity of the magnetic field distribution, which can not only improve the utilization rate of the target material, but also greatly improve the stability of the optimal poisoning point when working. The ion energy and diffraction properties of magnetron sputtering are far Below the multi-arc target surface, the distance from the workpiece is very important. If the ions are too close to the workpiece, the bombardment of the workpiece can damage the film layer. If it is too far away, it will deviate from the optimal sputtering distance. The film has poor adhesion.
The intermediate frequency target uses three pairs of targets, and some use three pairs. The targets are relatively large. As far as the intermediate frequency is concerned, most of them are metal-plated workpieces. Such vacuum furnaces are generally made relatively large. , You can put down a lot of task pieces, and the plated film is more dense.