Ion auxiliary system, evaporation equipment and composite current collector preparation method

Abstract

The invention discloses an ion auxiliary system, evaporation equipment and a composite current collector preparation method. The ion auxiliary system comprises a first grid mesh; the electron source is located in a space region defined by the first grid mesh; the gas supply device is used for providing process gas to the space area; the second grid mesh and the first grid mesh are arranged at an interval; a power supply device; wherein the power supply device is suitable for providing energy for the electron source, enabling the electron source to emit electrons, establishing a first electric field between the first grid mesh and the electron source, enabling the electrons to obtain energy and ionize the process gas to form plasma, and establishing a second electric field between the first grid mesh and the second grid mesh, and ions are led out from the plasma and accelerated to form a directional ion beam. By the adoption of the structure, the directional ion beam can be applied to the metal atom flow, and the kinetic energy of metal atoms deposited to the base material is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vacuum evaporation technology, and in particular to an ion-assisted system, evaporation equipment, and a method for preparing composite current collectors. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of composite current collectors, especially composite aluminum foil preparation, vacuum evaporation has become the mainstream preparation method due to its advantages such as high process integration, fast production cycle, and relatively low manufacturing cost. During preparation, aluminum is vaporized by resistance heating in a vacuum environment, and the resulting aluminum atoms are directly deposited on the surface of a substrate (such as PET film) to form a film.

[0003] However, this method has an inherent physical defect: the energy of the deposited metal atoms comes only from the thermal energy of the evaporation process, resulting in low kinetic energy. This leads to poor adhesion between the metal layer and the substrate, and the metal layer has a porous columnar crystal structure with insufficient density. Problems such as metal layer peeling and powdering occur in subsequent processing (such as rolling and slitting). Furthermore, the metal layer has weak resistance to electrolyte corrosion, which seriously affects the electrical performance and service life of the composite current collector.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing technology to overcome the aforementioned defects. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an ion-assisted system, vapor deposition equipment, and a method for preparing a composite current collector, which can apply a directional ion beam to a metal atom flow to enhance the kinetic energy of metal atoms deposited onto the substrate.

[0006] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution: an ion-assisted system, comprising: First grid; An electron source is located within the spatial region defined by the first grid. A gas supply device for supplying process gas to the space region; The second grid is spaced apart from the first grid. Power supply equipment; The power supply device is adapted to provide energy to the electron source, causing it to emit electrons, and to establish a first electric field between the first grid and the electron source, so that the electrons gain energy and ionize the process gas to form plasma, and to establish a second electric field between the first grid and the second grid to extract ions from the plasma and accelerate the formation of a directional ion beam.

[0007] Furthermore, the electron source is a cathode filament, the first grid is connected to the positive potential of the power supply device, and the second grid is connected to the negative potential of the power supply device.

[0008] Furthermore, the voltage between the first grid and the electron source is between 20V and 80V; and / or, the voltage between the first grid and the second grid is between 100V and 2000V; and / or, the spacing between the first grid and the second grid is between 1mm and 10mm.

[0009] Furthermore, the process gas is argon, the plasma includes at least argon ions, the ion beam is an argon ion beam, and the flow rate of the gas supply device is between 5 sccm and 50 sccm.

[0010] Furthermore, the ion-assisted system includes a third grid electrically connected to the power supply device, the third grid being located on the side of the second grid opposite to the first grid, and the third grid being adapted to focus and shape the ion beam.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention provides a vapor deposition apparatus, comprising: A conveying system is used to transport substrates to the deposition station; An evaporation source, located below the deposition station, is used to provide a flow of metal atoms to the deposition station; An ion-assisted system is located between the evaporation source and the deposition station; The ion-assisted system is adapted to generate an ion beam whose transmission path intersects with the transmission path of the metal atom stream.

[0012] Furthermore, the conveying system is a winding system, which includes a main roller located at the deposition station; The ion-assisted system includes: The first grid is located directly above the evaporation source; An electron source is located within the spatial region defined by the first grid. A gas supply device for supplying process gas to the space region; The second grid is located between the first grid and the main roller; Power supply equipment; The power supply device is adapted to provide energy to the electron source, causing it to emit electrons, and to establish a first electric field between the first grid and the electron source, so that the electrons gain energy and ionize the process gas to form plasma, and to establish a second electric field between the first grid and the second grid to extract ions from the plasma and accelerate them to form a vertically upward ion beam.

[0013] Further, the distance between the first grid and the evaporation source is 200mm~500mm; and / or, the distance between the second grid and the main roller is 100mm~400mm; and / or, the distance between the first grid and the second grid is 1mm~10mm.

[0014] Furthermore, adsorption components are provided between the first grid and the evaporation source, as well as between the first grid and the second grid. The adsorption components are configured to be permeable to ions in the ion beam and the metal atom flow, and to adsorb other neutral particles.

[0015] Furthermore, this invention provides a method for preparing a composite current collector, comprising the following steps: S100, providing substrate; S200: In a vacuum environment, the metal material is evaporated to form a flow of metal atoms flowing toward the substrate; S300. In the vacuum environment, an ion beam is generated in the same direction as the metal atom flow. The ion beam interacts with the metal atom flow before it reaches the substrate, so that the metal atom flow gains additional kinetic energy. S400, The flow of metal atoms that thereby gain additional kinetic energy is deposited on the surface of the substrate to form a metal layer.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The ion-assisted system of the present invention can establish a first electric field and a second electric field. The first electric field can efficiently ionize the process gas to generate plasma, and then the second electric field is used to extract ions from the plasma and accelerate them to form a directional high-kinetic-energy ion beam. This ion beam interacts with low-energy metal atoms (such as aluminum atoms) in the metal atom stream along the way, and efficiently transfers its extremely high kinetic energy to the metal atoms through collisions, so that it has a kinetic energy much higher than that of traditional thermal evaporation when it impacts the substrate surface. This high-energy bombardment effect allows the metal atoms to be embedded more deeply or form stronger chemical bonds with the substrate surface, fundamentally solving the core problem of weak adhesion between the metal layer and the substrate; obtaining high-kinetic-energy metal atoms in the substrate... The material surface exhibits higher migration capacity and activity, fully filling the pores in the early stages of growth and breaking the preferential growth trend in a single direction. This effectively inhibits the formation of porous, loose columnar crystal structures, resulting in a dense coating with an amorphous or fine-grained structure. The porosity is significantly reduced, and the resistance to electrolyte corrosion is greatly improved. The dense coating provides the prepared composite current collector with a more continuous and low-resistance conductive path, exhibiting excellent sheet resistance uniformity. Furthermore, the coating adheres firmly to the substrate, effectively preventing coating peeling and powdering during subsequent processing such as rolling, slitting, and die-cutting, thus improving production yield and product consistency. In addition, the ion-assisted system using the above structure can be directly integrated into existing vapor deposition equipment, making modification convenient and cost-effective. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the vapor deposition equipment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is an electrical connection block diagram of the ion-assisted system in this invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the first grid and the electron source in this invention.

[0020] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 100. Ion-assisted system; 110. First grid; 120. Electron source; 130. Gas supply device; 140. Second grid; 150. Power supply device; 160. Third grid; 170. Adsorption assembly; 200. Vacuum chamber; 300. Evaporation source; 400. Main roller. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to this application are shown in the accompanying drawings, not the entire structure. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, used in this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0023] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0024] Please see Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the ion-assisted system 100, corresponding to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is used to direct the ion beam toward the metal atom flow before the metal atom flow reaches the substrate, thereby increasing the kinetic energy of the metal atom flow.

[0025] The ion-assisted system 100 includes a first grid 110, an electron source 120, a gas supply device 130, a second grid 140, and a power supply device 150. The first grid 110 and the second grid 140 are spaced apart. The electron source 120 is located within the spatial region defined by the first grid 110, and the gas supply device 130 is used to supply process gas to the spatial region. The power supply device 150 is adapted to provide energy to the electron source 120, causing it to emit electrons. Simultaneously, the power supply device 150 is also capable of establishing a first electric field between the first grid 110 and the electron source 120, enabling the electrons to gain energy and ionize the process gas to form plasma, and establishing a second electric field between the first grid 110 and the second grid 140 to extract ions from the plasma and accelerate the formation of a directional ion beam.

[0026] The ion-assisted system 100 of this invention can establish a first electric field and a second electric field. The first electric field can efficiently ionize the process gas to generate plasma, and then the second electric field is used to extract and accelerate ions from the plasma to form a directional high-kinetic-energy ion beam. This ion beam interacts with low-energy metal atoms (such as aluminum atoms) in the metal atom stream along its path, efficiently transferring its extremely high kinetic energy to the metal atoms through collisions. This results in metal atoms having kinetic energy far exceeding that of traditional thermal evaporation when impacting the substrate surface. This high-energy bombardment effect allows metal atoms to embed more deeply or form stronger chemical bonds with the substrate surface, fundamentally solving the core problem of weak adhesion between the metal layer and the substrate. The high-kinetic-energy metal atoms have higher migration on the substrate surface. The ion-assisted system 100 with the above-mentioned capacity and activity can fully fill the pores in the early stage of growth and break the preferential growth trend in one direction, thereby effectively inhibiting the formation of porous and loose columnar crystal structures. This results in a dense coating with an amorphous or fine-grained structure, significantly reducing porosity and greatly improving resistance to electrolyte corrosion. The dense coating provides the prepared composite current collector with a more continuous and low-resistance conductive path, with excellent sheet resistance uniformity. The coating is also firmly bonded to the substrate. In subsequent processing such as rolling, slitting, and die-cutting, it effectively avoids problems such as coating peeling and powdering, improving production yield and product consistency. In addition, the ion-assisted system 100 with the above structure can be directly integrated into existing vapor deposition equipment, making it easy to modify and very low in cost.

[0027] Furthermore, the electron source 120 is located inside the first grid 110. Specifically, the electron source 120 can be a thermionic emission cathode, a field emission cathode, an electron beam gun, etc. In this embodiment, the electron source 120 is preferably a thermionic emission cathode, such as a tungsten wire or tantalum wire cathode filament. Current is supplied to the cathode filament through the power supply device 150 to heat the cathode filament, so that the electrons inside it gain enough energy to overcome the surface potential barrier and escape.

[0028] The electronic source 120 with the above structure is simple in structure, stable and reliable in emission, and fully compatible with the infrastructure of existing evaporation equipment in terms of power system, thermal management and vacuum requirements. It does not require the introduction of additional complex subsystems, has the lowest modification cost and the simplest system integration.

[0029] Furthermore, both the first grid 110 and the second grid 140 are made of conductive materials, such as conductive metals, graphite, and conductive ceramics. In this embodiment, metal is preferred to allow for the fabrication of complex mesh or grid-like structures. The power supply device 150 is a conventional high-voltage power supply system used to provide different potentials to the first grid 110 and the second grid 140. In this embodiment, the first grid 110 is connected to the positive potential of the power supply device 150, and the second grid 140 is connected to the negative potential of the power supply device 150.

[0030] In this configuration, the first grid 110 acts as the anode, effectively attracting and accelerating electrons. Specifically, electrons are accelerated in the first electric field, gaining kinetic energy to collide with the process gas, generating ions and forming a plasma at the first grid 110. The second grid 140 acts as the cathode, where cations in the plasma are attracted and accelerated by the negative electric field of the second grid 140 in the second electric field, gaining extremely high kinetic energy and forming a directional ion beam. Furthermore, the holes in the second grid 140 provide initial collimation for the emitted ion beam, preventing ion divergence.

[0031] The first grid 110 can adopt a ring structure, and the electron source 120 is housed in the central region of the first grid 110. Using this method, the two structures are compact and easy to integrate. Since the electron source 120 emits thermionic electrons in all directions throughout space, regardless of the direction from which the electrons are emitted, they will be strongly attracted by the positive electric field of the first grid 110, preventing ineffective escape of electrons. This forces almost all emitted electrons to pass through the ionization region surrounded by the first grid 110, greatly increasing their collision probability with the process gas. This achieves the generation of the highest density plasma with the minimum filament power, while also generating a regularly shaped and uniformly distributed plasma within and near the first grid 110, allowing the second grid 140 to extract ions from this plasma.

[0032] Furthermore, the gas supply device 130 includes a gas source and a delivery pipeline. The gas source is suitable for supplying process gas to the delivery pipeline. The inlet end of the delivery pipeline is connected to the gas source, and the outlet end is located in the central region of the first grid 110. The process gas is an inert gas to prevent chemical reactions with other substances. The process gas includes, but is not limited to, argon, helium, etc. In this embodiment, argon is preferred due to its excellent ionization characteristics, cost, and safety.

[0033] Specifically, when the gas supply device 130 delivers the process gas to the central region of the first grid 110, high-energy electrons accelerated by the first electric field collide with argon atoms. Through the collisional ionization mechanism, the argon atom loses an electron, transforming into a positively charged argon ion and releasing a new free electron. The newly generated electron is then accelerated by the electric field and gains energy, triggering a new round of ionization. This process continues in an avalanche-like manner, rapidly forming a high-density plasma composed of a large number of argon ions and electrons in the space near the first grid 110. Because the argon ions are positively charged, they are efficiently extracted from the plasma under the attraction of the negative electric field of the second grid 140. As they pass through the holes of the second grid 140, they are continuously accelerated along the direction of the electric field, thereby gaining extremely high kinetic energy and ultimately forming a directional high-energy argon ion beam.

[0034] Furthermore, if the voltage between the first grid 110 and the electron source 120 is too low, the ionization effect will be poor and there will be insufficient argon ions; if the voltage is too high, electrons will pass through the ionization region too quickly, reducing the collision probability.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the voltage range between the first grid 110 and the electron source 120 is between 20V and 80V. By controlling the voltage between 20V and 80V, the energy of the accelerated electrons is controlled within the optimal range, ensuring that the electrons have sufficient kinetic energy to effectively ionize argon atoms, while avoiding them from rapidly passing through the ionization region due to excessive energy. This maximizes the probability of collisional ionization between electrons and argon atoms, thereby efficiently and stably generating high-density plasma in the region near the first grid 110, providing a reliable source of raw materials for extracting a sufficient and uniform argon ion beam in subsequent steps.

[0036] Furthermore, if the voltage between the first grid 110 and the second grid 140 is too low, the argon ion energy will be insufficient, resulting in insufficient energy to bombard metal atoms and poor deposition effect; if the voltage is too high, the energy will be too high, and when metal atoms bombard the substrate surface, the substrate temperature will rise, causing the substrate to shrink, deform or even break down. Moreover, if the energy exceeds the self-sputtering threshold of the metal, the deposition rate will decrease, and some of the newly deposited metal atoms will be bombarded down, resulting in material waste and pollution.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the voltage between the first grid 110 and the second grid 140 is between 100V and 2000V. By controlling the voltage between 100V and 2000V, the energy of the argon ions is adjusted to a suitable range, achieving an optimal balance between effective energization and safe deposition, thereby improving the core physical properties and bonding strength of the coating, and ensuring process stability, material utilization, and overall product yield.

[0038] Furthermore, if the spacing between the first grid 110 and the second grid 140 is too small, the intensity of the second electric field will be too high, which will easily cause the residual process gas to undergo dielectric breakdown, triggering unstable arc discharge, thereby destroying the stability of the plasma and potentially damaging the equipment. If the spacing is too large, the intensity of the second electric field will be weakened, resulting in insufficient ion acceleration and insufficient kinetic energy. At the same time, it will also increase the probability of collision and scattering of ions with gas molecules during flight, causing ion beam divergence, energy dispersion and reduced transmission efficiency.

[0039] As a preferred embodiment, the spacing between the first grid 110 and the second grid 140 is between 1 mm and 10 mm. By limiting the spacing between the first grid 110 and the second grid 140 to the above range, extremely high electric field strength can be ensured while effectively eliminating the risk of gas breakdown, achieving extreme stability in the discharge process, and realizing efficient and highly collimated transmission of the ion beam, greatly improving energy utilization and deposition uniformity.

[0040] Furthermore, when the flow rate of the gas supply device 130 is too low, the density of argon gas at the first grid 110 is low, the probability of collision ionization is low, and it is difficult to maintain a stable plasma; when the gas pressure is too high, it is impossible to obtain sufficient ionization energy, and at the same time, due to the collision with argon gas, the metal atoms will be severely scattered, the deposition rate will drop sharply, and the coating quality will be affected.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the flow rate of the gas supply device 130 is between 5 sccm and 50 sccm. By controlling the argon gas flow rate within the range of 5 sccm to 50 sccm, high ionization efficiency and stable plasma can be maintained, ensuring efficient transport and deposition of high-density metal atomic flux, and optimizing plasma generation and deposition of coatings on the substrate.

[0042] Furthermore, the ion-assisted system 100 includes a third grid 160 electrically connected to the power supply device 150. The third grid 160 is located on the side of the second grid 140 facing away from the first grid 110. The third grid 160 is suitable for focusing and shaping the ion beam, so that the ion beam has higher parallelism, more concentrated spatial distribution, and more uniform energy density.

[0043] Specifically, the structure of the third grid 160 is similar to that of the first grid 110, and it is connected to the ground potential of the power supply device 150. The first grid 110, the second grid 140, the third grid 160, and their potential configurations together constitute an electrostatic lens system. When the diverging ion beam drawn from the second grid 140 enters the non-uniform curved electrostatic field formed between the second grid 140 and the third grid 160, ions deviating from the central axis will be subjected to a lateral focusing force pointing towards the beam's central axis. This electrostatic force can correct and converge the trajectory of the ion beam. By precisely designing the geometric parameters (such as aperture and spacing) and potential ratio of the three grids, this electrostatic lens system can effectively focus and collimate the ion beam, shaping the potentially divergent ion beam into a fine ion beam with higher parallelism, more concentrated spatial distribution, and more uniform energy density. This ensures that the ion beam can precisely interact with the evaporated metal atom flow in an optimized shape and action area, thereby further improving the efficiency of kinetic energy transfer and the uniformity of coating thickness and properties, ultimately resulting in a coating with superior overall performance.

[0044] Furthermore, an adsorption component 170 is disposed between the first grid 110 and the second grid 140. The adsorption component 170 is configured to be permeable to ions and metal atom streams in the ion beam and to adsorb other neutral particles.

[0045] Specifically, the adsorption component 170 uses a conductive porous material as its structural framework, and highly selective adsorption / reaction materials, such as MOFs, are grown or loaded in situ on its surface, thus forming a composite structure that combines conductivity with specific adsorption functions. The core function of the adsorption component 170 lies in its selective permeation mechanism, a characteristic achieved through the pore size and surface chemical properties of the material itself. It has a high adsorption capacity for neutral gas molecules such as argon, effectively capturing them, while exhibiting almost no hindrance to charged argon ions and moving streams of evaporating metal atoms, allowing them to pass through smoothly.

[0046] By efficiently adsorbing free argon molecules, the probability of their diffusion to the substrate surface is significantly reduced, and the physical adsorption of neutral gas molecules on the substrate surface is avoided. This eliminates problems such as abnormal nucleation points, loose growth, and uneven thickness caused by the coating, ensuring the high density and uniformity of the coating.

[0047] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a vapor deposition apparatus, including a vacuum chamber 200, a conveying system housed within the vacuum chamber 200, an evaporation source 300, and the aforementioned ion-assisted system 100. The conveying system is used to transport a substrate to a deposition station, and is a conventional winding system including a main roller 400 located at the deposition station. The evaporation source 300 is located below the deposition station and is used to provide a flow of metal atoms to the deposition station. The ion-assisted system 100 is located between the evaporation source 300 and the deposition station, and is adapted to generate an ion beam whose transmission path intersects with the transmission path of the metal atom flow to provide kinetic energy to the metal atom flow, so that the metal atom flow has a kinetic energy much higher than that of conventional thermal evaporation when it impacts the substrate surface.

[0048] In this embodiment, the first grid 110 is located directly above the evaporation source 300, and the second grid 140 is located between the first grid 110 and the main roller 400. The ion-assisted system 100 is configured to generate a vertically upward ion beam that moves in the same direction as the vertically rising flow of metal atoms from the evaporation source 300. The high-energy ion beam merges into the flow of metal atoms along its path, efficiently transferring kinetic energy to the metal atoms through collisions.

[0049] Preferably, an adsorption component 170 is also provided between the first grid 110 and the evaporation source 300. This adsorption component 170 constitutes an effective gas barrier, which can significantly reduce the number of argon molecules reaching the high-temperature evaporation source 300 region, fundamentally suppressing the side reactions such as oxidation and corrosion of the evaporation source 300 material that may be involved by argon at high temperatures, significantly reducing the wear rate of the evaporation source 300, extending its service life, and improving the continuity and economy of production.

[0050] Furthermore, the distance between the first grid 110 and the evaporation source 300 is 200mm~500mm. By limiting the above parameters, the direct thermal shock of the high temperature of the evaporation source 300 to the first grid 110 and the electron source 120 can be prevented, ensuring the stability and lifespan of the ion-assisted system 100, and at the same time, the high temperature radiation of the evaporation source 300 can be avoided from directly affecting the stability of the plasma.

[0051] If the spacing between the second grid 140 and the main roller 400 is too small, the interaction area between the ion beam and the metal atom flow is too short, the kinetic energy transfer process is incomplete, and the atoms do not receive enough additional kinetic energy, which weakens the effect of enhancing adhesion and density. If the spacing is too large, the probability of the metal atoms that have obtained high kinetic energy colliding with the residual gas molecules in the vacuum cavity 200 during the excessively long path they fly toward the substrate will increase significantly, resulting in a large loss of their kinetic energy and scattering of their motion direction.

[0052] Preferably, in this embodiment, the distance between the second grid 140 and the main roller 400 is 100mm to 400mm. By limiting the distance with the above parameters, this range is the optimal working distance for the ion beam to effectively energize the metal atom flow and reach the substrate. This allows the metal atoms to reach the substrate surface via the shortest and least disturbed path after being fully energized, thereby ensuring deposition with the highest effective energy and achieving a coating with high adhesion and high density.

[0053] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a method for preparing a composite current collector, comprising the following steps: S100, providing substrate; In this step, the substrate is continuously transported to the deposition station via a conveying system, with the surface of the substrate to be deposited facing the deposition direction.

[0054] S200: Under vacuum conditions, the metal material is evaporated, forming a flow of metal atoms toward the substrate; In this step, the metal plating material is heated to vaporization using an evaporation source 300 located below the deposition station, forming a stream of metal atoms that flows upward toward the deposition station.

[0055] S300: In a vacuum environment, an ion beam is generated that is in the same direction as the metal atom flow. The ion beam interacts with the metal atom flow before it reaches the substrate, giving the metal atom flow additional kinetic energy. In this step, the gas supply device 130 introduces process gas into the first grid 110 located above the evaporation source 300. The power supply device 150 is activated, supplying energy to the electron source 120 to emit thermionic electrons and applying a positive potential to the first grid 110. Under the action of the first electric field formed between the first grid 110 and the electron source 120, the thermionic electrons are accelerated into high-energy electrons, which collide with and ionize with argon atoms in the process gas, forming a high-density argon plasma near the first grid 110 through the avalanche effect. At the same time, the power supply device 150 applies a negative potential to the second grid 140, in the first... Under the action of the second electric field (strong accelerating electric field) formed between the grid 110 and the second grid 140, argon ions in the plasma are extracted, drawn out, and accelerated to form a directional high-energy argon ion beam. The transmission path of the high-energy ion beam intersects with the path of the metal atom flow that moves vertically upward from the evaporation source 300 below in the space below the deposition station. In this region, the high-speed ions chase and embed themselves in the low-speed metal atom flow, and efficiently transfer their extremely high kinetic energy to the metal atoms through collision, thereby enabling the metal atoms to gain additional kinetic energy and transform into high-energy deposition particles.

[0056] Preferably, a grounded third grid 160 is provided between the second grid 140 and the main roller 400. The argon ion beam is further abutted by the third grid 160. The three grids together form an electrostatic lens system to focus and collimate the ion beam, making it form a more parallel and concentrated beam, which is emitted in a vertically upward direction.

[0057] S400: The metal atoms that have gained additional kinetic energy are deposited on the surface of the substrate to form a metal layer.

[0058] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and does not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An ion-assisted system, characterized in that, include: First grid (110); An electron source (120) is located within the spatial region defined by the first grid (110); Gas supply device (130) for supplying process gas to the space region; The second grid (140) is spaced apart from the first grid (110); Power supply unit (150); The power supply device (150) is adapted to provide energy to the electron source (120) so that it emits electrons and establishes a first electric field between the first grid (110) and the electron source (120) so that the electrons gain energy and ionize the process gas to form plasma, and establishes a second electric field between the first grid (110) and the second grid (140) to extract ions from the plasma and accelerate the formation of a directional ion beam.

2. The ion-assisted system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The electron source (120) is a cathode filament, the first grid (110) is connected to the positive potential of the power supply device (150), and the second grid (140) is connected to the negative potential of the power supply device (150).

3. The ion-assisted system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The voltage between the first grid (110) and the electron source (120) is between 20V and 80V; and / or, the voltage between the first grid (110) and the second grid (140) is between 100V and 2000V; and / or, the spacing between the first grid (110) and the second grid (140) is between 1mm and 10mm.

4. The ion-assisted system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The process gas is argon, the plasma includes at least argon ions, the ion beam is an argon ion beam, and the flow rate of the gas supply device (130) is between 5 sccm and 50 sccm.

5. The ion-assisted system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ion-assisted system (100) includes a third grid (160) electrically connected to the power supply device (150), the third grid (160) being located on the side of the second grid (140) facing away from the first grid (110), and the third grid (160) being adapted to focus and shape the ion beam.

6. A vapor deposition apparatus, characterized in that, include: A conveying system is used to transport substrates to the deposition station; An evaporation source (300), located below the deposition station, is used to provide a flow of metal atoms to the deposition station; An ion-assisted system (100) is located between the evaporation source (300) and the deposition station; The ion-assisted system (100) is adapted to generate an ion beam whose transmission path intersects with the transmission path of the metal atom stream.

7. The vapor deposition equipment as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The conveying system is a winding system, which includes a main roller (400) located at the deposition station. The ion-assisted system (100) includes: The first grid (110) is located directly above the evaporation source (300); An electron source (120) is located within the spatial region defined by the first grid (110); Gas supply device (130) for supplying process gas to the space region; The second grid (140) is located between the first grid (110) and the main roller (400); Power supply unit (150); The power supply device (150) is adapted to provide energy to the electron source (120) so that it emits electrons and establishes a first electric field between the first grid (110) and the electron source (120) so that the electrons gain energy and ionize the process gas to form plasma, and establishes a second electric field between the first grid (110) and the second grid (140) to extract ions from the plasma and accelerate them to form a vertically upward ion beam.

8. The vapor deposition equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The distance between the first grid (110) and the evaporation source (300) is 200mm~500mm; and / or, the distance between the second grid (140) and the main roller (400) is 100mm~400mm; and / or, the distance between the first grid (110) and the second grid (140) is 1mm~10mm.

9. The vapor deposition equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, An adsorption component (170) is provided between the first grid (110) and the evaporation source (300) and between the first grid (110) and the second grid (140). The adsorption component (170) is configured to be permeable to ions in the ion beam and the metal atom flow, and to adsorb other neutral particles.

10. A method for preparing a composite current collector, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S100, providing substrate; S200: In a vacuum environment, the metal material is evaporated to form a flow of metal atoms flowing toward the substrate; S300. In the vacuum environment, an ion beam is generated in the same direction as the metal atom flow. The ion beam interacts with the metal atom flow before it reaches the substrate, so that the metal atom flow gains additional kinetic energy. S400, The flow of metal atoms that thereby gain additional kinetic energy is deposited on the surface of the substrate to form a metal layer.

Images