Electron Beam Evaporation

The Electron Beam Evaporation (also know as e-beam evaporation) process falls into a larger category of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) processes known as Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD). Deposition processes are used to release a material from a source and transfer that material to a substrate, forming a thin film or coating. PVD processes are commonly used for the deposition of metals, because they can be performed at lower process risk and cheaper in regards to materials cost that Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).

How the Evaporation Process Works

In the evaporation process, a block of the material (source) to be deposited is heated to the point where it starts to boil and evaporate. Then it is allowed to condense on the substrate—the material that you want to coat. This process takes place inside a vacuum chamber, enabling the molecules to evaporate freely in the chamber, where they then condense on all surfaces. For e-beam evaporation, an electron beam is used to heat the source material and cause evaporation.

Electron beam evaporation is a commonly used process for coating lenses and filters with anti-reflection, scratch-resistant or other specialized coatings. The process is also commonly used for coating insulating and resistor films on electronic components.

The electron beam evaporation process typically involves the following components:

• Electron Beam Evaporation gun
• A System Controller
• Power Supply
• Crucibles for the evaporation material
• Materials for Evaporation
• Material to be coated

The entire process takes place inside of a vacuum chamber.

Multi-layer coatings can be deposited in one duty cycle.