Acronyms abound for vacuum deposition processes. That’s mainly because the names tend to be descriptive and, therefore, very long. Still, a fair amount of confusion exists even when names are fully spelled out. PECVD is one such case. So, what is PECVD, and how do PECVD systems work?
Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is a chemical process that uses vapors or gases as precursors to create a coating. The source gas evaporates and condenses on the surface of a substrate. This process differs from physical vapor deposition (PVD), where a large portion of the coating material comes from a solid source or “target.”
How do plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition systems create coatings?
PECVD is a variation of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) that uses plasma instead of heat to activate the source gas or vapor. Since high temperatures can be avoided, the range of possible substrates expands to low melting point materials – even plastics in some cases. Moreover, the range of coating materials that can be deposited also grows.
Plasma in vapor deposition processes is typically generated by applying a voltage to electrodes embedded in a gas at low pressures. PECVD systems can generate plasma by different means, e.g., radio frequency (RF) to mid-frequencies (MF) to pulsed or straight DC power. Whichever frequency range is used, the objective remains the same: the energy supplied by the power source activates the gas or vapor, forming electrons, ions, and neutral radicals.
These energetic species are then prime to react and condense on the surface of the substrate. For example, DLC (diamond-like carbon), a popular performance coating, is created when a hydrocarbon gas like methane is dissociated in a plasma, and carbon and hydrogen recombine on the surface of the substrate, forming the finish. Apart from the coating's initial nucleation, its growth rate is relatively constant, so its thickness is proportional to the deposition time.
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PECVD equipment, hybrid PVD/PECVD systems
At a high level, PECVD equipment is similar to that used for PVD processes (in our VaporTech® systems, you can run both processes in the same chamber). Both include a chamber, vacuum pump(s), and a gas distribution system. Differences in the system configuration of the two processes are generally related to the power source (type and how it’s applied), gas type and flow levels, type and range of pressure sensors, and overall design of the parts' racking.
Vapor Technologies Inc. (VaporTech) is a leading PECVD system manufacturer.
Headquartered in Colorado, VaporTech is a global PVD and PECVD system manufacturer. Our PVD/PECVD coating equipment deposits DLC coatings and traditional PVD coatings. Don’t hesitate to contact us today for more information about how our PECVD systems can meet your needs.
2min
Mar 29, 2022
