Thin Film

Thin Film Deposition

Table of contents

What is thin film? Core concepts & use case
Thin film deposition methods at a glance
Thin film deposition system overview
Thin film coating equipment vs thin film process equipment
How to choose the right thin film technology
Thin film system supplier & integration partners
Applications & industries for thin film deposition

What is thin film? Core concepts & use case

A thin film is a functional layer with a thickness typically from a few nanometers up to a few micrometers that is deposited onto a substrate to tailor optical, electrical, mechanical, or chemical properties. Unlike bulk materials, performance is dominated by the interface (film–substrate), the film’s microstructure (density, grain size, stress), and the thickness itself. Typical substrates include silicon wafers (200/300 mm), glass, metals, and polymers.

Key concepts in thin film technology:

Deposition method: e.g., PVD (sputtering, magnetron), electron-beam or thermal evaporation, and PECVD -
each with different temperature budgets, rates, and uniformity.
Uniformity & thickness control: across the wafer/part; critical for
device yield and optical performance.
Adhesion & surface preparation: pre-clean/activation (e.g., plasma) to ensure
robust bonding and coating adhesion.
Metrology: thickness mapping, refractive index, sheet resistance, roughness, and adhesion tests.

Representative use cases:

Optics & photonics: AR/HR/BBAR stacks, interference filters.
Semiconductor & MEMS: barrier/seed layers, interconnects, passivation.
Medical & wear protection: DLC and other hard, low-friction coatings.
Energy & sensors: transparent conductors, catalytic and protective layers.

This foundation frames the selection of a thin film deposition method and the right thin film equipment for each application.

Thin film deposition methods at a glance

The choice of deposition method depends on the material, temperature budget, film density/uniformity, and throughput. Here’s the overview:

Method	Temp. budget	Deposition rate	Film density/ uniformity	Typical films / use	Notes
PVD (overview)	Low to mid	Mid	Good	Metals, alloys	Umbrella for evaporation/sputtering methods
Sputtering	Low to mid	Mid	Very good (dense films, strong step coverage)	Metals (Al, Cu, Ti, W), oxides/nitrides (ITO, SiOx, SiNx, TiN)	Reactive sputtering for compounds
Magnetron sputtering	Low to mid	Mid to high	Very good	As sputtering, with higher throughput (large areas, hard coatings)	Magnetic confinement -> higher rates, stable windows
Electron-beam evaporation	Low (minimal substrate heating)	High	Good (directional; rotation/fixturing recommended)	Noble/high-purity metals	Very high rates; line-of-sight
Thermal evaporation	Low	Mid	Good	Metals and organics (moderate melting points)	Simple hardware; great for prototyping/optics; material-dependent
PECVD (plasma-enhanced CVD)	Low (low-temperature growth)	Mid	Good, chemistry-tunable	SiOx, SiNx, a-Si:H, selected DLC/barrier/passivation layers	Plasma-assisted, gas-phase; conformal films at low temp

Thin film deposition system overview

A thin film deposition system combines vacuum hardware, deposition sources, controlled motion/fixturing, and precise process control, optionally with automated wafer handling for 200/300 mm. The goal is repeatable films at target thickness, uniformity, and throughput, with clean chemistry and stable pressure/power windows. Many setups are built as integrated platforms where chamber design, source configuration, and automation interfaces are defined as a system concept, as seen in INTLVAC platform families. This section outlines the core building blocks and a quick spec snapshot for selection.

Core components:

Vacuum stack: chambers, dry/turbo pumps, throttled pressure control; optional load-lock.
Sources & power: sputtering (DC/RF/magnetron), evaporation (e-beam, thermal), reactive gas options.
Motion & fixturing: rotation/planetary, heating/cooling, masking, carriers for wafers, glass, metals, polymers.
Process control: MFCs (mass flow controllers), pressure control, power matching, recipe logic, QCM/optical monitoring.
Handling & interfaces: EFEM/FOUP, load ports, cassettes, vacuum transfer to cluster tools.
Metrology & safety: thickness/uniformity mapping, ellipsometry, sheet resistance; interlocks, exhaust/scrubbers.

Spec snapshot

Spec point	Typical range / note
Wafer/part size	Up to 200/300 mm (fixtures for parts/glass)
Base pressure	1×10⁻⁶ – 1×10⁻⁸ mbar (method-dependent)
Temperature budget	Room temp to ~400 °C (options available)
Deposition rate bands	Sputtering: mid · E-beam: high · Thermal/PECVD: mid
Film uniformity (typ.)	±2–5 % across substrate (fixture/process dependent)
Automation options	Load-lock, EFEM/FOUP, vacuum transfer/cluster integration

Thin film coating equipment vs thin film process equipment

Thin film coating equipment is the deposition tool that forms the film on the substrate. Thin film process equipment comprises the supporting stack, including vacuum pumps and a load-lock, gas delivery (MFCs), power and cooling, handling (EFEM/FOUP), metrology, exhaust and safety systems, which keeps chemistry, pressure and power stable for repeatable thickness, uniformity and throughput. In practice buyers assess both together: the coater for capability, and the process stack for yield and uptime.

Aspect	Thin film coating equipment	Thin film process equipment
Primary role	Creates the film (PVD/evap/PECVD)	Enables stable, safe, repeatable processing
Typical scope	Chamber, sources (sputter cathodes, e-beam/thermal), fixtures, heaters/cooling	Vacuum pumps & load-lock, gas lines/MFCs, power/cooling, EFEM/FOUP handling, metrology, exhaust/safety
Key KPIs	Rate, uniformity, film properties	Base pressure, gas/pressure stability, uptime, contamination control
Buying trigger	New method/capability, higher deposition rate, larger substrates	Yield drift, base-pressure or contamination limits, scaling to 200/300 mm
Example items	Magnetron sputter tool, e-beam evaporator, thermal evaporator	Turbos/dry pumps, load-lock, MFC gas panel, chiller, EFEM/FOUP, QCM/ellipsometry, scrubber
Integration	Tool-level recipes, motion/fixtures	Plant-level reliability (SPC), interlocks, data logging, maintenance routines

How to choose the right thin film technology

Choosing the right thin film technology depends on temperature budget, film type, uniformity needs, substrate sensitivity and throughput. Use the matrix below to narrow options, then jump to the spoke pages for detailed specs.

Criterion	Sputtering	Magnetron sputtering	E-beam evaporation	Thermal evaporation	PECVD
Low substrate temperature	✓	✓	✓✓	✓✓	✓✓
Highest deposition rate (metals)	✓	✓	✓✓	✓	–
Dense films & top uniformity	✓✓	✓✓	✓	✓	✓
Complex shapes / better step coverage	✓✓	✓✓	–	–	✓✓
Reactive/compound films (oxides/nitrides)	✓✓	✓✓	–	–	–
Very high purity / noble metals	✓	✓	✓✓	✓	–
Large-area productivity	✓	✓✓	✓	–	✓
Conformal films at low temp	–	–	–	–	✓✓
Capex simplicity / quick prototyping	✓	✓	–	✓✓	✓

How to read it

Start with non-negotiables (e.g., low temp + dense film + complex geometry).
Pick the method with most ✓✓ and fewest –, then verify on the spoke page (materials, size, rate).

Quick decision cues

Need the highest metal rate with minimal heating → E-beam.
Need dense, uniform metallic/ceramic films or reactive oxides/nitrides → (Magnetron) sputtering.
Need conformal films at low temperature with chemistry control → PECVD.
Need simple, gentle lab setup or optics prototyping → Thermal evaporation.

Thin film system supplier & integration partners

As a thin film system supplier and integrator, we match the method to the job and deliver the complete stack around it: vacuum with load-lock, sources and power, motion and fixtures, gas delivery (mass flow controllers, MFCs), handling (EFEM and FOUP), metrology, and safety. We work with established brands such as Intlvac for thin film systems, Hine for automation including wafer handlers and load modules, Surfx for atmospheric plasma, HF Semi for wet processing and spin rinse dryers (SRD), SSI for rapid thermal processing (RTP/RTA), and AP Applied Physics for metrology and standards.

Projects follow a clear path from requirements and design review to factory and site acceptance as defined in the project scope. You receive complete documentation, including P&IDs, schematics, and recipes, and tested performance against agreed targets such as ±2–5% uniformity, along with safety concepts with interlocks and exhaust. After handover, we support you with preventive maintenance and calibration, spare parts and upgrades (for example cathodes, e-beam guns, load-lock modules, EFEM kits), remote assistance, and SLAs.