Optimization of unevenness of aluminum and aluminum oxide coatings obtained by magnetron sputtering under mutual movement of substrate and magnetron

The application of optical coatings to products of relatively large dimensions is an urgent task in the production of optical devices. This paper considers a method for obtaining a coating of aluminum and aluminum oxides on optical parts with a diameter of up to 300 mm. To that end, a system with a mutual displacement of the plate and the magnetron with a target diameter of 100 mm was used. Such systems require certain motion algorithms. The algorithms should enable a high evenness of the coating on the products. The work was focused on simulation and selection of a magnetron displacement algorithm relative to the substrate. The experimental part was performed using an M-Ray installation. This installation is used for spraying onto flat substrates up to 300 × 300 mm in size. Simulation was conducted using the Compass 3D CAD and Microsoft Excel software applications. As a result, an algorithm for moving the magnetron was developed. This algorithm made it possible to obtain aluminum films with good optical parameters and unevenness in terms of thickness. In general, the method allows determination of optimal trajectories of magnetron motion for achieving good unevenness of the coating. However, the method does not take into account a number of additional factors affecting the unevenness of the sprayed film.

Authors: V. I. Cherkunov

Direction: Physics

Keywords: magnetron sputtering, simulation of sputtering unevenness, control, automation, magnetron, physical vapor deposition (PVD), optical coatings

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