There are many types of magnetron sputtering coating technologies, including DC magnetron sputtering, medium frequency magnetron sputtering, and radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The base materials and film layers are different, and the principles used are different. The selected technologies are: The difference. Today, the editor of Huicheng Vacuum will explain to you the medium frequency sputtering principle used by the medium frequency magnetron sputtering pvd coating machine. I hope it can help you:

The advantage of using medium frequency sputtering is that it can produce smooth and dense films. The hardness of the film layer is high. The film thickness can grow linearly. It is not poisonous and the temperature rise is moderate. However, the equipment requirements are high, the working pressure range is very narrow, and various control requirements are fast and accurate. Multi-arc sputtering applies a small voltage and high current to the target to ionize the material (positively charged particles), thereby hitting the substrate (negatively charged) at high speed and depositing it, forming a dense and hard film. Mainly used for wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant films. The disadvantage is that the positive and negative electric collisions cause uneven film layers, 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 in pairs. Whether the cylinder participates must depend on the overall design and the entire system. During the sputtering process, there are many ways to participate in the ratio cycle related to the arrangement of the anode and cathode. Different methods can obtain different sputtering yields and different ion densities.
The main technology of medium frequency sputtering lies in the design and application of power supply. Currently, the two more mature methods are sine wave and pulse square wave output. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. First, you should consider the type of film layer and analyze which power supply output method is suitable for which one. Film layer, you can use the power characteristics to get the desired film effect.
Intermediate frequency sputtering is also a type of magnetron sputtering. Generally, the design of magnetron sputtering targets and magnetic fields are the focus of each technology. Several well-known international sputtering target manufacturers are quite professional in the design of target magnetic fields. Changing the magnetic field design can result in different plasma evaporation amounts, electron paths, and plasma distribution, so the magnetic field of the sputtering target is a technical secret of each company.
Regarding cathode arc (that is, ion plating), magnetron sputtering, and crucible evaporation all belong to 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, causing target atoms and molecular fragments to be deposited on the parts. 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 strikes, on the one hand, the high temperature of the target surface smelts and melts the material, and then the strong electric field almost completely ionizes the melted material, forming a film under the combined action of the target power supply and component bias. It seems that cathodic arc plating is more advanced, but it is not. First, the melting process of the target surface is very random and uncontrollable, and the ions are plated onto the parts in clusters. The uniformity and smoothness of plated parts are difficult to guarantee. Generally speaking, cathodic arc plating is a welding process under vacuum. The principles of cathodic arc power supply and welding power supply are very similar. Cathodic arc technology mainly originated from the former Soviet Union and is more popular in our country for various reasons. Simple power supply is a big factor. But technology keeps advancing. In recent years, filtration cathode arc technology has developed rapidly, which avoids the shortcomings of uneven film formation, but there are gains and losses. Filtration reduces the deposition rate and increases equipment costs.
There are some recent trends worth noting in the world. One is that the non-balanced magnetron sputtering method has developed rapidly and begun large-scale industrial application in large coating equipment companies, especially European companies; the other is that some companies in the United States are using pulse reaction in There has been great progress in magnetron sputtering. The deposition rate of its oxide and nitride films almost reaches the metal rate.
The intermediate frequency magnetron sputtering pvd coating machine has high requirements on the design of the target and magnetic field as well as the working air pressure. The deposition rate of intermediate frequency magnetron sputtering is 2 to 3 times that of DC magnetron sputtering. Medium-frequency magnetron sputtering uses two targets to prepare a compound film. Due to its low ionization rate, it is difficult to find an optimal poisoning point, and the flow control requirements for the working gas are very strict. If the control is not good, it will be 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, but also greatly improve the stability of the optimal poisoning point when working. The ion energy and diffraction of magnetron sputtering are far away. Below the multi-arc target surface, the distance to the workpiece is very important. If it is too close, the bombardment of the workpiece by ions can damage the film. If it is too far, it will deviate from the optimal sputtering distance and the bonding force of the prepared film will be very poor.
Medium-frequency targets use pairs of targets, and some use three pairs. The targets are relatively large. As far as medium-frequency is concerned, most of them are metal-plated workpieces. Such vacuum furnaces are generally made larger. , you can put down a lot of tasks, and the plated film layer is also more dense.