PQL Designs
+44 (0)1256 740680
PQL offer HiTUS and Magnetron plasma sputtering technology contact us to find out more.
SPECIALISTS IN THIN FILM SPUTTERING DEPOSITION SYSTEMS, COATING EQUIPMENT AND CUSTOM VACUUM COMPONENT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING
SERVICES
Substrate Stage Design and Build
We have a proven track record of delivering efficient and effective custom designs of components and full systems for specialised thin film R&D and extensive ‘hands on’ experience of their practical use, PQL Designs is ideally placed to understand the needs of our customers and advise and develop the design of specialised components, sub-systems or even full systems, for either PQL or customer manufacture.
Plasma Source Design and Supply
Using a combination of experienced in-house expertise and established suppliers, we are able to offer a full build and test service for vacuum coating systems and their component parts. In-house vacuum and coater systems are available for full pre-delivery test and demonstration in most cases, assuring fastest possible development and delivery of proven fully working products, even unique prototypes.
Full Sputter Deposition System Design and Build
Our design and build team will advise on customer system or site requirements and preparation for installation and provide component and system installation and functional commissioning and safety testing. With the support of PQL’s highly experienced thin film R&D team, full initial process set up, commissioning and ‘hands on’ staff training can also be provided at the customer’s site.
Example: C500 HiTUS Deposition System
COMPUTER CONTROLLED HIGH RATE MULTI-TARGET CO-SPUTTERING DEPOSITION SYSTEM WITH BIASED ROTATING HEATED SUBSTRATE
ABOUT
PQL Designs provides customer access to PQL’s extensive expertise in specialist vacuum sputtering systems design, build and operation that has underpinned the development of PQL’s proprietary “HiTUS” remote plasma sputtering technology.
The demands and opportunities inherent in the HiTUS sputtering technology, coupled with the build and repeated upgrades of systems for both customer and in-house use, have resulted in the PQL Design team having uniquely wide experience in robust and effective custom engineering for the thin film coating R&D and sputtering community.
Whilst our offerings are still based on supporting the “HiTUS” sputtering technology, our products are suitable for the thin film coating market as a whole and we are pleased to now be able to offer design and build services in vacuum engineering systems and components separately to that wider audience.
PQL Designs are able to offer design and build services for thin film coaters using either industry standard magnetron sputtering sources or traditional planar “diode” sputtering sources, the latter in conjunction with our in-house developed “HiTUS” high density remote plasma source technology to raise their performance to at least that of magnetron sputtering systems.
The combination of the PQL plasma source and planar diode sputtering sources results in continuous full target surface sputtering with very high target current densities and without the need for high bias voltage (typically HiTUS sourced sputter targets are operated between -150 and -1000V, DC or RF powered). This leads to many significant performance advantages, e.g.
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Deposition rates comparable to or greater than equivalently sized magnetron sputtering sources
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Stable reactive sputtering deposition processes for dielectrics, with deposition rates exceeding the rate of the sputtered element alone, no requirement for reactive gas feedback control
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Fast target ‘burn in’ – essentially only seconds to remove usual light surface contamination in load-lock systems, a few minutes in systems vented to atmosphere
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Uniform erosion, eliminating issues associated with magnetron sputtering “racetrack” formation and simplifying / enabling use of mixed material sputtering targets
Additionally, the more extensive high density plasma provided by the PQL remote source can be controlled to benefit the thin film deposition process and provide improved coatings for a very wide range of element and compound thin films. Benefits include:
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Low film stress (usually process adjustable)
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Excellent adhesion, often negating the need for “tie-layers”
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Excellent physical properties in general, for both passive and active thin film layers and structures
Highly densified films - little or no plasma gas inclusion
CONTACT
Enquiries
Head Office
For any enquiries, questions or commendations, please call: +44 (0)1256 740680 or fill out the following form
Plasma Quest Ltd.
Unit 1B Rose Estate
Osborn Way, Hook
RG27 9UT
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1256 740680
Email: sales@plasmaquest.co.uk