Evaporating metal is a process used in various scientific and industrial applications to create thin layers of metal on surfaces.
There are two primary methods for achieving this: electron-beam evaporation and thermal evaporation.
How do you evaporate metal? (2 Common Methods Explained)
1. Electron-beam evaporation
Electron-beam evaporation involves using a focused electron beam to heat and evaporate metals.
The temperature of the electrons is usually around 3000 °C.
A high voltage DC source accelerates these electrons towards the target material.
The electron beam is directed at a specific point on the metal's surface, causing rapid heating and vaporization.
This method is particularly effective for metals with high melting points, such as tungsten and tantalum.
Electron-beam evaporation results in minimal contamination from the crucible.
2. Thermal evaporation
Thermal evaporation uses a metal evaporator to evaporate various metals onto a substrate or film.
The metal evaporator typically consists of a crucible and a heat source.
The metal is placed in the crucible, which is then heated to high temperatures.
As the metal reaches its melting point, it turns into a liquid and eventually evaporates into a vapor.
This vapor condenses onto surfaces within the chamber, coating them with a thin layer of the metal.
Thermal evaporation can be performed using a mask to selectively coat specific patterns onto a sample.
Different metals such as aluminum, gold, chromium, germanium, nickel, silicon oxide, and titanium can be used for evaporation.
Important considerations
Both methods require a high vacuum environment to minimize gas collisions and unwanted reactions during the deposition process.
The metal evaporator should be operated under controlled conditions.
Proper safety protocols must be followed.
It is crucial to receive permission and training from a qualified individual, such as Dr. Knobel in the Physics department, before using the metal evaporator.
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