Boron Nitride Applications in Pysical Vapor Deposition Equipment
Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) is a technique used in the
production of various types of thin films, including wear-resistant coatings,
decorative coatings, nanocomposite structures, and optical coatings. This
process involves heating a solid material in a vacuum environment to create a
vapor that condenses on a substrate to form a thin film. PVD is an essential
process in modern engineering and manufacturing, especially in industries such
as aerospace, electronic devices, and automotive. Boron Nitride (BN), a
compound of boron and nitrogen, has unique properties that make it an ideal
material for the components of PVD coating equipment.
Introduction
Boron Nitride materials, known for its exceptional thermal
stability and extreme inertness, are steadily gaining popularity as a key
material in industrial processing. In the context of physical vapor deposition
techniques, researchers have demonstrated significant improvements when
utilizing BN materials to fabricate various components. The application of BN
in PVD technology, specifically for crockets and crucibles construction, has
seen critical advancements worldwide.
PVD Coating Process with Boron Nitride Components
The implementation of BN components in Physical Vapor
Deposition techniques has proven to be advantageous, enabling controlled
material deposition without any contamination. BN influences the tribological
behavior of coatings, which protects against adhesion, roughness, friction, and
wear. Due to the innate stability of BN compounds at higher temperatures, using
BN in crocket material ensures prolonged use. By contrast, crucibles composed
of BN ensure stability and constant temperature conditions during the
compartment of material deposition (1).
Advantages of Using Boron Ntride in PVD Equipment Construction
Components made of BN offer several distinct advantages over
other materials, including superior corrosion resistance, excellent mechanical
properties even at high temperatures, stable chemical properties, and low
coefficients of thermal expansion. These properties make BN a suitable material
choice for PVD equipment components such as the traditional graphite composite
due to the risk of contamination at high temperatures.
Additionally, the chemical structure of BN endows it with
remarkable thermal properties, such as high boiling and melting points, which
makes it ideal for use in extreme temperature environments. Highly uniform in
composition, BN materials have a slight tendency to degrade under heating only
after reaching 3000°C. Thus, the stability of BN-crucibles and crockets made of
this material promotes smooth deposition process conditions for improved
coating morphology.
Moreover, BN components exhibit lower coefficients of
friction compared to traditional materials like graphite, explaining a
noticeable reduction in coating debris (2). Reducing debris is a considerable
advantage because it minimizes contamination during material deposition,
leading to higher-quality coatings suitable for diverse functionalities,
including wear resistance, decorative coating, and nanocomposite structures.
Applications of BN-Coated PVD Equipment
Physical Vapor Deposition technology has far-reaching
applications for various industries, including semiconductor chip
manufacturing, medical devices, aerospace systems, power generation, optical
engineering, among others. Baring wear-resistant coatings, BN-coated PVD
equipment can be used in precision machining technologies for metal parts that
require accurate cutting without being damaged or broken. The abrasion
resistance and superior heat conduction properties of BN make it an ideal
material choice for injection molding equipment for production parts given its
unique composition. BN-based crucibles are preferred in the deposition of
refractory metals where purity demands are stringent, preserving the
non-reactive surfaces of complementary coalescence and reducing coating defects
from occurring (3).
Conclusion
The use of Boron Nitride materials in the construction of
components for physical vapor deposition processes has shown significant
advancements in coating quality with minimal contamination. Through the use of
BN in crocket construction, researchers have demonstrated prolonged use while maintaining
optimal operating conditions, especially when handling reactive materials at
high temperatures. Using BN-crucibles ensures maintained stability and uniform
temperature conditions preventing undesired oxidation and scaling resulting in
contaminant-free coating depositions.
Components composed of BN possess valuable properties like
superior mechanical properties, high temperature and chemical stability, low
coefficient of thermal expansion, outstanding tribological behavior, thermal
resistance, and non-reactivity, making them a suitable material choice in the
construction of PVD equipment. The many critical advantages of BN components
ensure successful deposition and high-quality coating operations across various
fields ranging from aerospace to coating nanocomposite structures. With Boron
Nitride materials gaining popularity worldwide for an extensive range of
applications due to its unique properties, it is clear its importance and
utility will continue to grow in the years to come.
References:
Goch, G., HeeBae C., Masashi M., Yang S., Sung, Eyun Jong.
(2018). Boron nitride crucible for thin films deposition by PLD technique.
Journal of Materials Research Express.
Medina, M., Safronova, E., Bunshah, R., & Jain, A.
(2003). HDDR Coatings with Reduced Carbon Contamination Deposited on BN
Synthesized by Chemical Vapor Deposition. Surface Engineering, 19(6), 429-436.