A thin film evaporator deposits thin layers of atoms or molecules onto a substrate material by evaporating or sublimating various elements. There are two main types of evaporation: resistive and electron beam. Resistive evaporation involves passing an electric current through a target material, while electron beam evaporation directs a beam of high-energy electrons at the target material. Both techniques require stable target materials and specific equipment.
A thin film evaporator is a machine used to create thin film. By evaporating or sublimating various elements, a thin film evaporator can deposit extremely thin layers of atoms or molecules onto a substrate material. The machine consists of a vacuum chamber, a heating element and an apparatus that holds and moves a substrate while a thin film is deposited on it.
There are two main types of evaporation that can be used to create a thin film. These are resistive evaporation and electron beam evaporation. In both of these techniques, a target material is heated in a thin film evaporator until it evaporates or sublimes. Like a gas, the target material moves through a vacuum chamber until it lands on a substrate and forms a thin film. Both of these techniques require the target materials to be stable as a gas.
In resistive evaporation, an electric current is passed through a target material, which becomes hot when energized. With enough heat, the target material evaporates or sublimes. Gold and aluminum are common target materials that can be evaporated in the form of metallic threads, called filaments. Target materials in the form of filaments are difficult to load onto an evaporator and can only be processed in small quantities. A thin film evaporator can also use thin sheets of a target material, which are often easier to process and produce more matter when evaporated.
Some target materials are not suitable for resistive evaporation because they can release large sections of solid matter in the process. If these solids collide with the thin film that forms on the substrate, they can ruin it. Evaporating these materials requires the use of a closed heating source that allows the gaseous form of the material to escape through small holes while trapping sections of solid matter within the heating chamber.
The evaporation of the electron beam heats the target material by directing a beam of high-energy electrons at it. In this type of thin film evaporator, the target material is held in a cooled hearth while being bombarded with electrons and heated. This process is useful for target materials with a very high evaporation temperature because the focused energy beam can heat the target material without heating the entire apparatus. The container holding the target material is not exposed to extreme heat, so it does not melt or evaporate in the process. This type of thin film evaporation requires specific equipment and can be quite expensive.
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