Thermal evaporation sources include components that evaporate the base material through the use of resistive element heating. Typically the bulk material is placed into a source made of refractory metal (evaporation boat, basket, or filament-heated crucible), and as power is applied, the temperature rises to facilitate evaporation. Installation costs and equipment are fairly inexpensive compared to other deposition techniques, but precise temperature control can be difficult and some evaporates’ tendency to alloy with the source material makes this technique not quite as universal as others.
SimulTek HVTDS-003 features: • Filament or Coil/Crucible Style Sources • 2-3/4″ CF- 4.5 CF flange mount • Vertical or horizontal mounting • Optional post extension kit • 150A Max Current

Sputter deposition, commonly called sputtering, removes atoms/molecules from a solid target’s surface, projecting them into the gas phase from which they condense on another surface. In contrast to the various evaporation techniques available, sputtering does not require melting of the base material, rarely “spits” lumps at the substrate, and the source can be mounted in any orientation. There is comparatively very little radiated heat transferred to substrates, the coverage is not strictly line-of-sight, and elemental mixtures, alloys, and compounds can be sputtered without changes in stoichiometry. SimulTek Sputtering Sources are compatible with vacuum levels from a few Torr to UHV and come in many shapes and sizes, from small 1″ round type R&D cathodes to large 4-6” cathodes.. By optimizing the target-substrate distance, the atoms approach the substrate’s surface from partially randomized directions, producing a uniform film thickness across a textured substrate’s surface.
SimulTek HV HVMDS-007 features: • Versatile RF, DC, and Pulsed-DC operation • True UHV all-welded design (no elastomeric seals) • Excellent film uniformity (±3%) and target utilization (up to 30%) • Integral gas injection port to introduce process gas at the target’s surface • Optional deposition chimneys and flip-style shutters reduce contamination during co-deposition • Magnet array is isolated from cooling water and can be removed without breaking vacuum • Cathode bakeable to 350°C (with magnet array removed)

Electron beam evaporation sources include components that evaporate the base material through the use of a high energy electron beam, generating very high deposition rates (up to 25000 Å/min). The electron beam is focused onto the target material through the use of a magnetic field, and bombardment of the electrons generates enough heat to evaporate a wide range of materials with very high melting points. Under regular e-beam evaporation, the chamber pressure is brought to as low a level as possible to prevent background gases from chemically reacting with the film or bulk evaporate. Under carefully controlled partial pressures of reactive gases, reactive e-beam evaporation can create films of a different chemical composition than that of the bulk material.

Point source evaporators, also known as LTE (Low Temperature Evaporation) Sources, are similar to filament and crucible thermal evaporators in that they evaporate the base material through the use of resistive element heating. The bulk material is placed into a crucible heated by a filament source, and as power is applied to the filament the crucible is heated. The crucible/filament structure has external shielding, a precise aperture, and thermocouple feedback to allow precise temperature control. They are compatible with UHV vacuum levels, easy to remove and replace, and allow very controllable heating in the lower temperature ranges in which organic materials evaporate. Our low temperature evaporator (LTE) deposits volatile organic materials for thin film formation needed to produce organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), photovoltaic cells, and other organic material-based devices.
SimulTek Organic Evaporation Sources features: • Single channel and sequential control options available • Temperature control with SimulTek Controller with control to ±0.3°C • Adjustable alarm conditions • Rate control input compatible with commercially available deposition controls • 3.7 X faster cooling from 420°C to 50°C in just 95 minutes • Upgrade solutions for SimulTek systems and software • Efficient heater coil for optimum heating profile. • Computer control (± 0.3°C) for low temperature operation 50-450°C • Ability to grow ±1% uniformity films depending on substrate size and material type

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is a process in which precursor gases react to form film deposits on a substrate. Source gases are supplied through a gas management system to the inlet of a heated quartz tube by forced and free convection. CVD is carried out at, or slightly below atmospheric pressure with flow rates in the laminar regime. As the gas flows over the substrate, shear forces slow the gas down resulting in a velocity gradient. Ultimately, the gas velocity drops to zero at the substrate and a boundary layer is formed. These factors combine to give CVD some advantages over typical PVD processes. Firstly, CVD is carried out at significantly higher pressures than PVD eliminating the need for high vacuum pumps. If the system does not require extensive gas management infrastructure to deal with toxic gases, costs can be reduced significantly. Another advantage of the higher pressure, combined with the laminar flow properties of CVD, is that deposition does not need to be in line of sight. This makes it possible to deposit conformal films on substrates with irregular surfaces, or on large quantities of closely packed substrates.
SimulTek CVD deposition system features: • The vacuum chamber is made of quartz glass 8” in diameter. • The working pressure in the chamber is 10^-1Torr – 10^-3 Torr. • Water cooling of filament holders • Water cooing substrate holder • Two Ta Filaments • Automatically gas flow injection.