Large area electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) and plasma activated electron beam (EB) evaporation — Status and prospects

Electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) is an industrially well established large area PVD technology. Highly productive air-to-air coaters for metal strip, roll-to-roll coaters for plastic web or thin metal foils as well as inline carrier coaters for substrates or lots of substrates have been introduced into industrial production. Axial type high power EB-guns having a nominal power of several 100 kW at 60 kV are available as technological key components in order to generate high vapor densities. efforts have been made to combine high rate EB-PVD with plasma generation processes in order to activate the generated vapor. The industrial break through depends on the potential of long term process stability and of large area extension of the process combination as well as on the availability of robust and cost-saving solutions. Two versions of process combination which are suitable to meet these requirements will be introduced: Spotless arc activated deposition (SAD) and a combination of electron beam evaporation with magnetron sputtering (EB-Mag process). per presents some examples of coating results concerning these process combinations. Coatings of titanium and titanium based compounds have been deposited by SAD. Coatings of tin and copper have been deposited by the EB-Mag process.