Written by: Denton Vacuum, LLC

Summary: A guide on the advantages of using ion beam technology

Ion beam technology has beneficial effects when utilized through deposition processes. Here are some explanations on how the process works and what advantages it carries with it as well.

Ion beam deposition (IBD) is a type of vacuum deposition system that primarily focuses on directing a beam source to a sputtering target. The target then creates a thin film and deposits it on the substrate. An effective approach to film deposition, this procedure has increased in popularity.

The source of an ion beam consists of grids. These grids force the ions to accelerate at a high rate which allows engineers to extract them. The “screen” grid, which is the inner grid, is in constant contact with the positive charged plasma. The “decelerator” grid is the grounded unit that prevents any chance for the electron to back stream or redeposit materials back into the acceleration grid. These grid systems all work in tandem to produce the desired result.

Some of the benefits of ion beam deposition include: minimal scattering, minimal optical losses, profound surface quality, uniformity, flexibility, and smooth dense films. The only drawback of IBD is that it works on a limited amount of materials, primarily metal oxides.

Ion beam applications will continue to improve and will have the ability to apply properties to even more materials that are yet to be tested on. The incorporation of thin film evaporation with deposition will not only further enhance the scope of science over time but new pieces of technology will develop that will forever change the processes of ion beam deposition.