Macroparticle filter device and method for use in cathodic arc deposition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10604835-B2
Application number	US-201715628904-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2017
Priority date	Jun 29, 2016
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

A macroparticle filter device for cathodic arc evaporation, to be placed between at least one arc evaporation source and at least one substrate exhibiting at least a surface to be coated with material evaporated from a cathode of the arc evaporation source in a vacuum coating chamber. The macroparticle filter device includes one or more filter components that can prevent macroparticles emitted by the cathode during cathodic arc evaporation to arrive the substrate surface to be coated. The at least one component is provided as one or more flexible sheets that block the lineal way of the macroparticles from the cathode to the substrate surface to be coated. Further a method for utilizing the macroparticle filter device is presented.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Filter device for filtering macroparticles produced by cathodic arc evaporation in a vacuum coating chamber, wherein the filter device comprises at least one macroparticle filter component that can prevent macroparticles emitted during evaporation of a cathode comprised in an arc evaporation source from contacting a substrate surface placed in front of a cathode surface within the vacuum coating chamber, when the macroparticle filter component is placed between the cathode surface and the substrate surface, wherein the at least one macroparticle filter component is provided as a frame construction with two or more flexible sheets, wherein at least one of the flexible sheets is provided as a filter net assembly comprising one or more flexible net layers and at least one of the flexible sheets is provided as a flexible foil wherein the flexible foil is free of openings.

2. Filter device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more flexible net layers are made of one or more materials that are resistant to a cathode material adhering thereto.

3. Filter device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more flexible net layers comprise at least one woven fabric layer composed of one or more materials from the group of carbon, carbon based fiber materials, silicon carbide, silicon based fiber materials, aramid and glass.

4. Filter device according to claim 1 , wherein the two or more flexible sheets are made of one or more materials in such a manner that they exhibit thermal stability above 50° C.

5. Filter device according to claim 4 , wherein the thermal stability is above 300° C.

6. Filter device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible foil is made of one or more materials that are resistant to a cathode material adhering thereto.

7. Filter device according to claim 6 , wherein the flexible foil is made of a single metal or an alloy from the group of Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Re, Ru, Os, Rh, Ir, Pd, Pt, Ag, Au, or any alloy of one of them with another element from the periodic table.

8. Cathodic arc evaporation method, in which macroparticles produced by cathodic arc evaporation in a vacuum coating chamber are filtered by one or more filter devices, wherein at least one of the filter devices is placed between at least one arc evaporation source and at least one substrate surface to be coated and comprises:
at least one macroparticle filter component that can prevent macroparticles emitted during evaporation of a cathode comprised in the at least one arc evaporation source from contacting the at least one substrate surface placed in front of a cathode surface within the vacuum coating chamber, when the at least one macroparticle filter component is placed between the cathode surface and the at least one substrate surface, wherein the at least one macroparticle filter component is provided as a frame construction with two or more flexible sheets, wherein at least one of the flexible sheets is provided as a filter net assembly comprising one or more flexible net layers and at least one of the flexible sheets is provided as a flexible foil wherein the flexible foil is free of openings,
wherein material is evaporated from the cathode comprised in the arc evaporation source and the at least one of the filter devices is placed in such a manner that the lineal way of the macroparticles from the cathode to the at least one substrate surface to be coated is blocked.

9. Method according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one of the filter devices placed between the at least one arc evaporation source and the at least one substrate surface to be coated comprises at least one flexible sheet that is provided as a filter net assembly comprising one or more flexible net layers in such a manner that the transparency of the at least one of the filter devices has been adjusted by combination of filter net layers exhibiting different mesh size or different fiber diameter or different string number or different string orientation or a combination therefrom.

10. Method according to claim 8 , wherein the cathode is made of material comprising a carbon, boron or nitrogen based material.

11. Method according to claim 8 , wherein the cathode is made of a composite material being selected from groups IV, V and VI of the periodic table of elements, as well as Si, C, O, N and Al.

12. Method according to claim 10 , wherein the material of the cathode comprises a melting point of higher than 1200° C.

13. Method according to claim 8 , wherein one or more of the at least one macroparticle filter component is provided in a manner that it surrounds the at least one substrate surface to be coated.

14. Method according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one macroparticle filter component is mounted in a manner that rotatable motion of said at least one macroparticle filter component is enabled and the at least one macroparticle filter component is rotated during cathodic arc evaporation.

15. Method according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the filter devices is mounted within the process chamber enabling motion of the at least one of the filter devices and the at least one of the filter devices is moved during cathodic arc evaporation in such a manner that the direct line-of-sight from the cathode being evaporated to the at least one substrate surface to be coated is opened.

16. Filter device according to claim 2 , wherein the cathode material comprises a carbon, boron or nitrogen based material and/or a composite material being selected from groups IV, V and VI of the periodic table of elements, as well as Si, C, O, N and Al.

17. Filter device according to claim 4 , wherein each of the two or more flexible sheets is made of one or more materials in such a manner that they exhibit thermal stability above 50° C.

18. Filter device according to claim 6 , wherein the cathode material comprises a carbon, boron or nitrogen based material and/or a composite material being selected from groups IV, V and VI of the periodic table of elements, as well as Si, C, O, N and Al.

Assignees

• Oerlikon Surface Solutions Ag Pfaffikon
• Oerlikon Surface Solutions Ag Pfaeffikon

Inventors

• Ramm Juergen
• Widrig Beno
• Rachbauer Richard

Classifications

• C23C14/0641

  Nitrides (C23C14/0617 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2004/028

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• H01M4/02

  Electrodes composed of, or comprising, active material · CPC title

• C23C14/14

  Metallic material, boron or silicon · CPC title

• C23C14/564

  Means for minimising impurities in the coating chamber such as dust, moisture, residual gases · CPC title