THE TECHNOLOGY

Ion Beams for Processing and Deposition

Beams of accelerated ions are used to modify and erode surfaces under vacuum conditions. By carefully selecting the energy and composition of an ion-beam, this can be used, for example, to improve significantly the characteristics of a growing film by both densifying the film and modifying the chemical composition of the film. Alternatively, ion beams can be used to erode (mill) existing films or sputter a target material to project a plume of material for deposition on a substrate. In the latter case, the growing films can have excellent qualities for many applications owing to the elevated kinetic energy of the sputtered material.

Theris Broad Beam RF Ion Sources

RF ion sources, in contrast to many other varieties of ion sources, allow independent control of the ion current and beam energy, lending themselves to applications where precise control of the impinging beam is important. The TASRI Series are designed to operate with high current density and low contamination levels. The enhanced plasma is entirely contained within a high-purity ceramic zone resulting in the minimum of metallic contamination. The grid configuration is carefully arranged to ensure minimal beam impingement on the outer grids resulting in maximum beam throughput and prolonged grid lifetime.