Written by: Denton Vacuum, LLC
Read below to find out more about PECVD.
What is Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition?
Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, or PECVD, is a method used to deposit thin films at a low temperature on a substrate of choice. The lower temperature would usually sacrifice quality in normal reactors, but not in the case. Standard CVD reactors would require high temperatures in order to produce films such as silicon dioxide. Utilizing PECVD, one can duplicate the high quality.
How is this done?
PECVD utilizes electrical energy to create plasma. This energy is then transferred into a gas mixture. Throughout the process, the gas mixture becomes transformed into atoms, molecules, and other excited species. These then interact with each other in a series of processes which then results in the etching or deposition onto the substrate itself.
Properties of PECVD
Because of the flexibility that PECVD offers, it has become a favorable method when it comes to depositing materials. One of the major advantages of PECVD is the lower than normal temperature that is possible. Conventional CVD processes have a regulated requirement in regards to the temperature as PECVD does not. Some of the properties that you can expect to see out of PECVD are solid adhesion, good coverage and uniformity, as well as a low density within the structure.
What’s next for PECVD?
The introduction of PECVD has paved the way for laboratories to be able to experiment with different types of produced films. With the remarkably low temperature base, films can be altered in such a way that it will open up a variety of possibilities for various industries such as the medical field. With medical device coatings becoming more and more popular, different systems are being introduced, with PECVD being one of them.