David Stevenson, Gennady Fiksel, Ampres, Inc., Ypsilanti, MI
The demand for more complex multilayer thin film coatings has created a need for improved PVD and PECVD plasma processes. Ampres has developed a scalable closed drift plasma source that enables very high-rate metal mode sputtering of metal oxides, nitrides, carbides, fluorides, and sulfides. This source provides a fundamentally new tool for achieving very high rate - very high-quality thin film deposition.
The Ampres Reactive Gas Plasma Source (RGPS) also can be operated in a standalone mode for PECVD deposition of DLC coatings and for reactive gas etching and milling.
The Ampres Reactive Gas Plasma Source can reduce the cost of large area glass coating of Low E coatings by more than 40%. In addition, the Ampres RGPS can be used to make cost effective complex multilayer all dielectric band pass type coatings on large area substrates.
The Ampres RGPS is a game changer for large area, display, web and solar, tribological, and decorative thin film coating applications.