The main difference between thermal evaporation and e-beam evaporation is the method used to heat and vaporize the source material. In thermal evaporation, a resistive "boat" is used to heat the source material by passing a high electric current through it. The heat causes the material to melt and evaporate, which then condenses onto a substrate to form a thin film. On the other hand, e-beam evaporation uses a beam of high-energy electrons to directly heat and vaporize the source material. The electrons are created by a tungsten filament and accelerated towards the target material, causing it to evaporate and condense onto the substrate.
Thermal evaporation is well suited for materials that require a lower melting temperature, both metal and non-metal, while e-beam evaporation can handle higher temperature materials, such as oxides. E-beam evaporation also has a higher deposition rate compared to thermal evaporation.
Another difference is the resulting thin film coatings. Thermal evaporation tends to produce less dense thin film coatings, while e-beam evaporation can achieve higher density. This is due to the different heating mechanisms and the ability of e-beam evaporation to provide higher energy to the evaporated material.
There is also a difference in the risk of impurities. Thermal evaporation has a greater risk of impurities due to the crucible being heated, which can lead to contamination of the evaporated material. E-beam evaporation, on the other hand, can achieve higher purity thin films due to the direct heating of the source material by the electron beam.
In summary, thermal evaporation and e-beam evaporation are both methods used to deposit thin films, but differ in their heating mechanisms and resulting thin film properties. Thermal evaporation uses an electric current to heat the source material in a crucible, while e-beam evaporation uses a beam of high-energy electrons. Thermal evaporation is suitable for lower temperature materials, while e-beam evaporation can handle higher temperature materials. E-beam evaporation has a higher deposition rate, produces denser thin film coatings, and has a lower risk of impurities compared to thermal evaporation.
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