Vacuum DLC Coating Machine Diamond Like Carbon Coating System

Vacuum DLC Coating Machine Diamond Like Carbon Coating System

1. Vacuum Pumping System
- Vacuum Chamber: Made of stainless steel, with polished interior for high sealing.
- Pumping System:
- Rough Pumping Pumps: Dry screw pump or rotary vane pump.
- High Vacuum Pump: Turbomolecular pump + cryogenic pump (optional).
- Vacuum Pressure Monitoring: Compound vacuum gauge (Pirani + cold cathode ionization gauge) for real-time monitoring of low and high vacuum stages.
- Substrate Handling: Sample stage with rotation, heating (200°C), and ion cleaning.

2. Plasma Generation and Bias System
- Plasma Source:
- Radio Frequency (RF) Source: For generating high-density plasma.
- Pulsed DC Power Supply: Suitable for high-power sputtering or PECVD processes to minimize thermal damage to the substrate.
- Bias Power Supply:
- Pulsed bias or DC bias (adjustable from -50V to -2000V).

3. Gas Control System
- Mass Flow Controller (MFC): Provides high-precision control of reactant gases (e.g., C₂H₂, CH₄, Ar) and dopant gases (e.g., SiH₄, N₂).
- Gas Distribution System: A four-way MFC controls process gases, ensuring uniform gas distribution.

4. Target and Evaporation Source (Selected by Process)
- Magnetron Sputtering Target: Graphite target (used for sputtering DLC), requiring a strong magnetic field (e.g., permanent magnet or electromagnetic) to increase ionization efficiency.
- Arc Source (e.g., Filtered Cathodic Arc Electron, FCAE): Used for producing ta-C with a high sp³ content, requiring a magnetic filter to remove droplets.
- Thermal Evaporation or Electron Beam Evaporation (rarely used, requiring ion beam assisted deposition).

5. Temperature Control Module
- Substrate Heating/Cooling System:
- Heating system (up to 400°C, used to improve film adhesion).
- Water-cooled cooling system.
- Thermocouple Temperature Measurement: Real-time monitoring of substrate temperature.

6. Auxiliary Hardware
- Ion Cleaning Gun: Ar2 sputtering cleans the substrate and improves film-to-substrate bonding.
- Film Thickness Monitoring: The system includes a quartz crystal oscillator (QCM).
- Planetary Sample Holder: This holder ensures uniform coating of complex workpieces (such as tools and molds).

7. Control System
- The system features an interlock protection system that prevents plasma startup if vacuum pressure is below the specified level, preventing abnormal discharge.
- PLC/HMI Touchscreen Control: Integrated automated adjustment of parameters such as gas flow, vacuum pressure, and power (using PID control for process repeatability).