Physical Vapor Deposition
Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is an advanced technology that uses physical means to vaporize materials into atoms, molecules or ions in a vacuum environment and deposit them on the surface of a substrate to form a thin film.
- Vacuum Ion Coating
- Vacuum Sputtering Coating
- Vacuum Evaporation Coating
- 2000+ Target Materials Options
- Films From 5 Nanometers to 50 Microns
Wstitanium Workshop
Our Powerful Facilities
The Ultimate Guide to Physical Vapor Deposition
In the field of modern materials science and surface engineering, physical vapor deposition (PVD) technology occupies a pivotal position. From electronic products, precision optical instruments to key components in high-end fields such as aerospace, PVD technology is everywhere. It can deposit a layer of thin film with special functions on the surface of the material. These films can not only improve the physical properties of the material such as wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and conductivity, but also give the material unique optical, electrical and magnetic properties, greatly expanding the application range of the material. With the rapid development of science and technology, the requirements for material performance are becoming increasingly stringent. PVD technology is also constantly innovating and evolving, providing strong technical support to meet the needs of various industries.
Brief History
The origin of physical vapor deposition technology can be traced back to the early 20th century. At that time, it had some preliminary applications, but due to technical conditions, it developed slowly. The real rapid development began in the past 30 years. With the continuous progress of vacuum technology, plasma technology and material science, PVD technology has gradually matured and has been widely used in many fields.
In the 1960s, ion plating technology was proposed by D.M.Mattox, laying an important foundation for the development of PVD technology. Thereafter, in the 1970s, Bunshah and Juntz introduced reactive evaporation ion plating (AREIP), successfully depositing superhard films such as TiN and TiC. These superhard films have extremely high hardness and wear resistance, greatly expanding the application of PVD technology in the industrial field, such as tool coating. At the same time, Moley and Smith developed and perfected hollow hot cathode ion plating, and in 1973 developed radio frequency ion plating (RFIP), further enriching the means and application scope of PVD technology.
In the 1980s, magnetron sputtering ion plating (MSIP) and multi-arc ion plating (MAIP) came out one after another. Magnetron sputtering ion plating combines the advantages of magnetron sputtering and ion plating, improving the deposition rate and film quality; multi-arc ion plating has emerged in the field of surface treatment with its high ionization rate and high deposition rate, and is widely used in the preparation of surface coatings for molds, mechanical parts, etc.
Entering the 1990s, PVD technology has been increasingly widely used in the watch industry, especially in the surface treatment of high-end watch metal appearance parts. Its exquisite coating effect and good wear resistance add unique charm and value to watches. With the continuous innovation of PVD technology, a series of advanced technologies have emerged, including multi-arc ion plating and magnetron sputtering compatible technology, large rectangular long arc targets and sputtering targets, unbalanced magnetron sputtering targets, twin targets, strip foam multi-arc deposition winding coating, strip fiber fabric winding coating, etc. The coating equipment used is also developing towards computer full automation and large-scale industrial scale. This makes it play an indispensable role in many fields such as aerospace, electronics, optics, machinery, construction, light industry, metallurgy, etc.
PVD Working Principle
Physical vapor deposition (PVD) refers to the technology of vaporizing the surface of the material source (solid or liquid) into gaseous atoms, molecules or partially ionized into ions under vacuum conditions by physical methods, and depositing a thin film with certain special functions on the surface of the substrate through low-pressure gas (or plasma). Its basic principle can be divided into three key steps:
Vaporization
The plating material is evaporated, sublimated or sputtered by heating, sputtering, arcing, etc., so as to form a vaporization source of the plating material. For example, in vacuum evaporation coating, the solid plating material is heated to the evaporation temperature by resistance heating, electron beam heating, etc., so that it is converted into gaseous atoms or molecules; in sputtering coating, high-energy ions are used to bombard the target material so that the atoms on its surface obtain enough energy to escape and form gaseous atoms or molecules.
Migration
The vaporized plating atoms, molecules or ions migrate in a vacuum environment or low-pressure gas or plasma. During the migration process, they will collide with other particles, resulting in various reactions such as scattering and excitation. For example, in a plasma environment, ions will accelerate under the action of the electric field, collide with gas molecules and ionize them, further increasing the density and activity of the plasma.
Deposition
The plating atoms, molecules or ions that migrate to the surface of the substrate are adsorbed, diffused, nucleated and grown on the surface of the substrate, and finally form a continuous film. During deposition, atoms or ions will find a suitable position on the surface of the substrate to attach, and gradually gather to form tiny crystal nuclei. With the arrival of more atoms or ions, the crystal nuclei continue to grow and connect with each other, and finally form a complete film.
