Amorphous Carbon Deposition Screen for Substrate Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for depositing carbon layers by electron cyclotron resonance plasma are bulky, result in slow deposition rates, and lack homogeneity, often damaging substrates due to plasma impacts.
Innovation Solution
A device with a plasma chamber, magnetic confinement mirror, waveguide, and a screen to protect the substrate from plasma, allowing for the deposition of amorphous carbon layers with high sp3 bond levels on any substrate type, including organic materials, without heating or electrical polarization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the substrate holder is placed close to the plasma to increase deposition rate, then productivity is improved, but the substrate is damaged by plasma particle impacts
Solution Approach 1:
A screen made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is introduced as an intermediary element between the plasma and the substrate holder. This screen selectively blocks harmful plasma particles while allowing beneficial carbon species to reach the substrate, enabling close placement of the substrate holder to the plasma without causing damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The screen provides localized protection to the substrate holder area while maintaining plasma exposure for carbon deposition. The protective function is applied specifically where needed (at the substrate holder) without compromising the overall deposition process.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the substrate holder is placed distant from the plasma to avoid plasma damage, then substrate protection is improved, but deposition rate becomes very slow
Solution Approach 1:
The PTFE screen acts as a mediator that enables the substrate holder to be positioned close to the plasma by filtering out harmful particles. This resolves the need to choose between proximity (for high deposition rate) and distance (for substrate protection).
3Manufacturing precision
If translational/rotational movements are implemented to achieve layer homogeneity, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex translational and rotational movement mechanisms are completely removed from the system. Instead, homogeneity is achieved by optimizing the static geometric arrangement of components, specifically the positioning of the substrate holder relative to the plasma and the screen configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
Homogeneity is achieved by optimizing geometric parameters (positions and orientations of components) rather than through dynamic movements. The specific arrangement of the substrate holder at defined distances and angles from the plasma source produces uniform deposition without mechanical complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the production of continuous, homogenous, and elastic amorphous carbon layers with sp3 bond levels greater than 20% on various substrates, including polymers, without substrate damage, and at higher deposition rates than prior art.
Implementation Method 1
electron cyclotron resonance plasma (also called ECR plasma)... generated in an autonomous manner without filament or cathode, from an electron cyclotron resonance zone, which generates energetic electrons, which ionise a gas injected into a plasma chamber
Implementation Method 2
the means for generating the magnetic field being further configured to create a beam of magnetic field lines along which plasma is diffused
Implementation Method 3
The beam is intercepted by the carbon target to be sputtered. Carbon atoms are then sputtered from the target, which is negatively polarised
Implementation Method 4
deposit carbon by physical vapour deposition (PVD) by sputtering a carbon target
Data Source
AI summary
A device for producing an amorphous carbon layer by electron cyclotron resonance plasma, the device including a plasma chamber; a gas supply; a magnetic mirror; a waveguide extending along a reference axis; a system for injecting microwave power; a magnetic field generator for generating a magnetic field in the plasma chamber, the magnetic field generator being configured to create a beam of magnetic field lines along which plasma is diffused; a target made from carbon; a substrate holder, wherein the target is arranged at a distance from the reference axis of between Rtarget/2 and Rtarget, and wherein the device further includes a screen arranged between the waveguide and the substrate holder.