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Kurt J. Lesker PVD-75 Filament Evaporator

Trainers

The filament evaporator is used to coat samples with various metals. Unlike sputtered films, evaporators only coat the surface facing away from the substrate. Evaporators will provide very little coating to the sides of any features that are perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. The filament evaporator is ordinarily used for gold, nickel, chromium, aluminum, and copper coatings. It can be used to evaporate most other metals as well. In a typical process the chamber is pumped down to a pressure of 5 x 10-7 torr to prevent air molecules from interrupting metal atoms as they travel from the evaporation source to the substrate. Then the metal evaporation source is heated to a high temperature by a tungsten filament. This causes the metal to evaporate and be deposited on the substrate. Typical deposition rates range from two to five Å / second.

In most cases metal depositions are performed in the CVC electron beam evaporator or in the CVC DC sputterer. The filament evaporator is a good choice for samples that need to be evaporator coated (to avoid coating the sides of rough topologies) and are sensitive to x-ray radiation that may be emitted by the electron beam gun in the e-beam evaporator.

Features

- Turbo pump for reduced pump-down time
- Low voltage, high current resistance heating

	Front Panel Touch Screen This screen contains the pumpdown, vent, and shutter controls. It also displays chamber pressure. It is located directly above the chamber viewing window.
	Deposition Monitor and Control Screen This is where processes and films are selected, edited, and displayed. It shows current processes selected, films being used, and displays different graphs during deposition. These graphs include power vs. time, deposition rate vs. time, and rate of change of the deposition rate vs. time.
	Source Selection Control This dial selects which pair of electrodes will receive power.

Operating Instructions

I. Before Starting

1.	Prepare samples for processing.

II. Vent System

1.	Push "VENT" on the front panel touch screen. This will initiate the chamber vent sequence.
2.	When the touch screen displays “Vent complete”, the chamber has reached atmospheric pressure and you may open the chamber door.
3.	Remove the sample holder platen by lifting slightly and sliding it out over the alignment pins. Note: You might have to rotate the platen using the substrate rotation control in order to remove it.
4.	Use the spring clips to mount the sample securely to the platen. Remember that the sample will be mounted upside down in the evaporator.
5.	Use the cleanroom vacuum with the SOFT TIP to vacuum around the seal of the door. If you do not know which is the soft tip, contact any MiRC staff member. Using the vacuum without the soft tip can scratch the seal area.

III. Load System

1.	Open the shutter by entering the “DEP” menu then pressing “SHTR 1” on the front panel touch screen. The button is green when the shutter is open, and red when the shutter is closed.
2.	For each metal to be evaporated, mount a tungsten boat between a pair of electrodes at the base of the chamber.
3.	Place one or two pellets in each boat. Note which electrode pair corresponds to each metal.
4.	Place the platen in the chamber, sample side down. Make sure the top plate of the platen slides over and then down onto the two alignment pins on the shaft.
5.	Close the shutter by entering the “DEP” menu and pressing “SHTR 1” on the front panel touch screen.

IV. Pump System Down

1.	Place a new, clean mylar film in the holder on the inside of the chamber door. Mylar films are located in the accessory holders on the front of the machine.
2.	Close the chamber door and press “PUMPDOWN” on the front panel touch screen. The chamber pressure is indicated (in Torr) on the left side of the screen.

V. Set Up Deposition

1.	Using the chart posted on the control panel for reference, choose the metal that you are depositing. This chart will show you which process and film to select for proper deposition.
2.	Select the process you would like to run by pressing the “PROCESS MENU” button on the deposition monitor. The processes will vary based on what film is selected for deposition. Verify that the proper film is set in the process menu.
3.	3. Use the “QUICK SETUP” button to edit any aspect of your process. This screen will allow you to set deposition rate and desired final film thickness, as well as verify that the proper material is selected for deposition.

VI. Perform Evaporation

1.	Set the source selector to the proper electrode pair. The numbers 1, 2, and 3 indicate the electrode pairs from left to right.
2.	If you wish to use the substrate rotation feature, set the desired rotation speed on the substrate rotation speed control dial. Turn the rotation power switch to “ON”.
3.	When the chamber has reached the desired pressure, turn the output power switch to on.
4.	When you are ready to begin deposition, press the “START” button on the deposition controller. This will initiate the deposition process, and handle each aspect from ramping up source power to opening and closing the shutter automatically during the process.
5.	Monitor the deposition process to ensure proper execution. If any problems arise during deposition, immediately contact any MiRC staff member.
6.	The deposition process is completely automated, and will end once the desired film thickness is reached. If you are evaporating other metals, follow steps V 1 - 3 to set up your next process.
7.	If you are finished evaporating, turn the filament power switch off. Wait ten minutes before venting the system to allow the filament to cool.

VII. Vent System

1.	Wait ten minutes after shutting the filament off to vent the system.
2.	Press "VENT" on the front panel touch screen.
3.	Once the touch screen displays “VENT COMPLETE”, you may open the chamber door and retrieve your sample(s).

VIII. Remove Samples and Boats

1.	Remove the platen from the chamber.
2.	Open the shutter by entering the “DEP” menu then pressing “SHTR 1” on the front panel touch screen. Remove the boat(s). Be careful – the shielding between electrodes and boats themselves may still be hot.
3.	Clean the chamber with the soft tip on the vacuum.

IX. Pump Down

1.	Close the chamber door.
2.	Press “PUMPDOWN” on the front panel touch screen to initiate the chamber pump down sequence. Do not leave the machine at atmospheric pressure.
3.	Enter this run in the log book.

Problems? Contact the MiRC Technical Staff.