Alexey Arkhipov¹, Marcus Frank¹, Ken Nauman^2
1Bühler Alzenau GmbH, Alzenau, Germany
²Sputtering Components, Owatonna, MN
Utilizing a plasma source for preparing a substrate surface for deposition is well understood in the vacuum coating industry. When thin films are deposited onto a substrate, a surface that has low energy or contamination such as oxidation or adsorption of vapors, can greatly reduce the performance of the product. The result can be poor adhesion or degradation of the film over time due to diffusion of contaminants.
A plasma pretreatment can provide the benefit of physical etching the surface of the substrate and/or provide chemical cleaning with atoms such as oxygen to ensure the surface is ready for deposition of the primary layer of material. The critical performance parameters of a pretreatment source are as follows:
• Ability (energy) to remove the undesired material or contamination.
• Chemical compatibility of the source and the substrate material.
• A high enough throughput to enable a cost-effective production rate.
• Reliability to reduce unplanned downtime.
• Ruggedness to enable long campaign lengths.
This talk will review the development of an Anode Layer Ion Source (ALIS) and the process results of utilizing such a source for the pretreatment of glass substrates up to 3.5 m in width. Topics to be reviewed will include etch rate, chemical cleaning benefits, process parameters for stable operation, and lifetime/reliability of the source.