In thermal evaporation of PVD, the source material is vaporized by heating it to a high temperature in a vacuum environment.
The vaporized material then travels in a straight path (line of sight) to the substrate, where it condenses to form a thin film.
This process is characterized by minimal interference and contamination, as the vacuum environment reduces the presence of gaseous contaminants.
How Vaporization of Source is Done in Thermal Evaporation of PVD? 4 Key Steps Explained
1. Heating the Source Material
The source material is heated to a sufficiently elevated temperature, typically using a tungsten wire coil or a high-energy electron beam.
This causes the material to vaporize, creating a vapor flux.
2. Vacuum Environment
The process is carried out in a high-vacuum environment, with gas pressure ranging from 0.0013 Pa to 1.3 × 10^-9 Pa.
This ensures that the evaporated atoms undergo essentially collisionless transport from the source to the substrate, minimizing contamination and interference.
3. Vapor Transport and Condensation
The vaporized material travels in a straight path (line of sight) to the substrate, where it condenses to form a thin film.
The vacuum environment plays a crucial role in preventing contamination of the coating formed.
4. Deposition Rate
The rate of mass removal from the source material due to evaporation increases with vapor pressure, which in turn increases with the applied heat.
A vapor pressure greater than 1.5 Pa is needed to achieve high enough deposition rates for manufacturing purposes.
Overall, thermal evaporation is a gentle PVD method with low power consumption requirements, producing evaporated particle energies of approximately 0.12 eV (1500 K).
It is a relatively simple process compared to other PVD methods, such as sputter deposition or arc deposition.
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