Several Common Ion Sources in The Coating Process Of Vacuum Coating Machines

In order to improve the adhesion, bonding force and film structure of the workpiece, many vacuum coating machines are equipped with ion sources during the coating process.
Although there are many types of ion sources, their purpose is nothing more than online cleaning, improving the energy distribution and modulation of the plated surface to increase the energy of the reaction gas. The ion source can greatly improve the bonding strength between the film and the substrate, and can also improve the hardness and wear resistance of the film itself. If the wear-resistant layer of the electroplating tool is generally thicker and the film thickness uniformity is not high, an ion source with a larger ion current and a higher energy level, such as a Hall ion source or an anode ion source, can be used.
The principle of the anode layer ion source is similar to that of the Hall ion source. An annular (rectangular or circular) narrow slit is added with an enhanced magnetic field, and the working gas is ionized and emitted to the workpiece under the action of the anode. The anode layer ion source can be made very large and long, which is particularly suitable for the electroplating of large parts such as architectural glass. The ion current of the anode layer ion source is also large. However, the ion flow is divergent and the energy level distribution is too wide. It is generally suitable for large workpieces, glass, wear-resistant, and decorative workpieces. But there are not many applications in advanced optical coatings.
This vacuum coater is equipped with a Hall ion source, where the anode and the strong axial magnetic field work together to ionize the process gas. The strong imbalance of the axial magnetic field separates the gas ions to form an ion beam. Because the axial magnetic field is too strong, the Hall ion source ion beam needs to be supplemented with electrons to neutralize the ion flow. A common neutralization source is a tungsten filament (cathode).