Plasma Quest (PQL) at the Optical Complex Systems Conference at the Espace Miramar, Cannes

The PQL stand at the Espace Miramar during the OCS 2008 conference in Cannes. Rémi Mollicone (PQL International Business Development) is representing the company at the event covering Optical Complex Systems.

Plasma Quest at the OCS 2008 in Cannes - 17th March to 20th March

Rémi Mollicone from Plasma Quest will be present at the OCS 2008 fair in Cannes from the 17th to the 20th March 2008. Show takes place at the Espace Miramar where the Croisette in Cannes meets the Rue Pasteur.

This is the second annual event of the Optical Complex Systems fair.

Useful Links:
OCS2008 Flyer
OCS2008 Programme

Plasma Quest Ltd trial next generation Plasma Launch System (PLS)

Plasma Quest Ltd have significantly redesigned their Plasma Launch System (PLS) for use in sputter deposition production environments.

Key factors in the development of the new PLS were:-

• Low cost of ownership
• Reliable
• Easy Maintenance
• Compact design
• No moving parts
• Wide operating range
• Improved efficiency

The new design performed well during extensive proving trials here in the UK prior to being shipped to the USA where it will be installed on a customer’s production system.

Detailed guide to the Plasma Quest HiTUS technology

The following is the first version of the 'Introduction to the Plasma Quest Hitus Technology', which has been recently produced by the Plasma Quest International Business Development team in close collaboration with Dr. Mike Thwaites and Barry Holton of Plasma Quest UK.

Guide to the Plasma Quest HiTUS technology - PDF format, 28 pages

HiTUS Technical Benefits

The patented HiTUS technology is a major evolution from the traditional magnetron technology widely used in industrial and research circles.

The use of a remote high density plasma source to amplify the diode sputter deposition process has allowed us to deposit thin films with physical properties normally only achieved by ion beam deposition and at the very high deposition rates and coverage associated with high power magnetron sputtering. Though all materials are enhanced in quality, the benefits of the system are most clearly demonstrated in the deposition of dielectric and magnetic materials. The additional capability to use the plasma to assist the thin film growth process also improves material densification and allows control of materials morphology, stress and adhesion. The combination of high sputter rate, materials quality, and properties ‘tuning’ thereby opens up new materials systems possibilities, particularly relevant to flexible electronics and many other associated applications and processes.

HITUS PROCESS SCHEMATIC

Furthermore:
- The Linear Target system, which is currently in advanced stages of development, possesses all the advantages of HiTUS technology plus the possibility of coating large substrates up to and in excess of 50/60 cm.
- The Linear Target enables the development of a large area linear process with the same advantages as HiTUS for roll-to-roll or in-line processes.

In summary:
HiTUS technology enables thin film deposition processes, which eradicate the sputtering problems associated with magnetron, namely;

- Irregular process and deposition results (uniformity/roughness)
- Poor target utilisation (increases the cost of deposition)
- Difficulty in maintaining stoichiometry from compound targets
- Inability to sputter from thick ferromagnetic targets
- Complex methodology for control of reactive sputtering
- Difficulty in sputtering onto heat sensitive organic substrates
- Low deposition rate

Plasma Quest’s technology brings:
- High Target Utilisation Sputtering, HiTUS: > 90% compared to <40 % for magnetron sputtering. No racetrack.
- Much faster deposition rates (up to 10 times), especially for reactively sputtered dielectrics
- Reactive sputtering process simply controlled – no feedback system required
- Higher coating precision
- Better control of film characteristics, with properties close to bulk
- Better smoothness control, which currently can only be achieved through expensive, generally slower rate, technology
- High levels of repeatability and reproducibility
- Higher production speed (cost per unit of production considerably reduced)
- Possibility of in-line and roll to roll production line with multi-layer deposition
- Stress is readily controllable, from compressive to tensile, with zero stress in between.
- Low temperature process enabling deposition onto organic substrates
- Our technology can be easily integrated into many existing magnetron sputtering set-ups.

Plasma Quest at SEMI Expo CIS2006 in Moscow

PQL recently exhibited at SEMI Expo CIS2006 in Moscow. The show was a busy couple of days for Managing Director Barry Holton and interpreter Nastya Koraleva.

A lot of interest was shown in PQL’s capabilities readily to lay down materials that are difficult by conventional means, with both industrial and academic enquiries being fielded. Specifically the ability to deposit materials such as gold onto flexible substrates met with much disbelief, as did PQL’s claim to deposit numerous dielectrics at high rate and with very low stress.

HiTUS - Demonstrating remote high density plasma generation control

The following film covers the beginning of the Plasma Quest remote high density plasma generation process, the key to the HiTUS sputtering (physical vapor deposition) technology behind PQL's much improved results not possible through traditional magnetron, ion beam, thermal evaporation and chemical vapour deposition coating systems. Additionally PQL’s thin film sputtering technology has delivered superior differentiated coating characteristics for the photonic, semiconductor, and photovoltaic sectors, as well as magnetic and dielectric applications.

Plasma Quest at the CARMA organised "Innovative Materials and Associated Processes" Fair in Toulon, France - 27th and 28th September

Plasma Quest continue to promote their successful patented HiTUS technology, this time at the annual CARMA organised "Innovative Materials and Associated Processes" Fair in Toulon, France.

From left to right in the photo are:

Rémi Mollicone - International Business and Technical Development

Anne Boyé - Technical Development and Advanced Materials

Antony Addy - International Business Development & Communications

Jean-André Calvaire - Business Development France

Plasma Quest member of CARMA

Plasma Quest is now an official member of CARMA, promoters of advanced materials in France.

Plasma Quest to participate at the 6th annual "Innovative Materials and Associated Processes" Fair

The competitiveness of an industrial company depends on the knowledge which it has of its technological environment and if it has known how to develop relationship with the laboratories, technical centers and qualified experts.

The sixth technological meeting of innovated materials and associated processes offer to the professionals of the material field the occasion to meet experts and to make a report on the processes of innovation and development, eco-design and technology transfer.

The event will take place on 27th and 28th of September 2006, near Toulon, in the South of France.

The focus of the 27th conference will be done on the technology transfer in Europe in the fields of plasturgy and composite materials with the participation of representatives of technological centres from Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and United-Kingdom.

This event will be the opportunity to present the TTC's competences, missions and means and to develop partnership for European projects.

On 28th September, the visitors could participate in the conference about Polymers and composite materials from renewable resources and Microelectronics interfaces and Functionalisation of surfaces.

This year exhibition will be focus on the eco-conception topic.

Source: CARMA

Plasma Quest partner Dataslide

Plasma Quest Ltd and Dataslide Ltd have agreed a mutual development programme of thin film lithography.

Plasma Quest are world leaders in thin film lithography research. See Plasma Quest's website for more information.

Dataslide is making major progress in data storage technology.

Plasma Quest are proud members of the Technical and Scientific Committee of the Dataslide project.

Source: Dataslide

Plasma Quest in Linear Target breakthrough

PQL’s continuing development of its ‘Linear Target’ System has provided another breakthrough result when the 50cm cylindrical target was tested for the first time this month.

Results have confirmed that plasma generation efficiency is maintained along the length of the target, providing a uniform plasma density for high rate sputtering from the whole target surface.

Substantial in-house R&D over the last year has shown that this configuration has many benefits:

• More efficient use of plasma source
• Eliminates need to scale source with target
• Greatly increased coating area
• Greatly increased coating rates
• Retains all HiTUS advantages – improves reactive stability.

PQL successfully deposit Gold thin films (200nm) onto flexible PET and Kapton® sheet with no signs of delamination

PQL’s HiTUS technology has been successfully used to deposit Gold thin films (200nm) onto flexible PET and Kapton® sheet with no signs of delamination. One interested observer’s comment was "I have never seen anything like this with gold before, this is really quite exceptional!"

PQL sees here potentially very exciting opportunities and is interested in discussing partnership programmes with appropriate organisations.

Samples could be provided.

Plasma Quest makes sputtering technology breakthrough

UK-based sputtering technology firm Plasma Quest has a prototype system that could dramatically increase sputtering deposition rates and cut down-time.

Sputtering is used to deposit a wide variety of materials onto surfaces - including magnetic layers on hard drives as well as multi-layer coatings on photonics and optical communication components. “Globally, it’s a massive business,” Plasma Quest founder Professor Mike Thwaites told Electronics Weekly.

A limitation of existing systems is that targets, the source of coating material, are flat discs only 100-200mm in diameter. This limits the rate at which atoms can be ejected towards the object to be coated, and therefore the coating rate, as well as the life of the target.

In Thwaites’ new ‘linear’ system, the target is a massive bar 600mm long by 75mm diameter. “Tests indicate we should be able to deposit in excess of 1µm per minute for both reactive and ferromagnetic sputtering,” said Thwaites, “sufficient for roll-to-roll deposition.”

In the linear system, an argon plasma is generated by an RF antenna coil and a magnetic field outside the main chamber.

Guided by the launch magnet which confines it away from the walls, the plasma then drifts into and down the length of the deposition chamber.

Under the combined action of the launch magnet, the target magnet and the target’s -600V ion-acceleration potential, an even hail of Argon (Ar+) ions are accelerated into the target where they knock off coating atoms.

These atoms then drift ballistically and coat substrates in both the top and bottom of the chamber. The whole system can also be orientated vertically.

Plasma Quest sells and commissions sputtering systems as well as licensing firms to build their own. Managing director Barry Holton will not discuss customers or sales, except to say: “One US company bought a dozen systems and have ordered another nine, latterly with licence to build their own.”

Sputtering

The process involves generating Ar+ ions in a plasma, then accelerating these into the 'target' - a block of the material to be deposited. Atoms of the target are knocked off and ballistically travel to the object to be coated - the 'substrate'.

In conventional sputtering machines, the argon plasma is generated over the surface of the target. For electromagnetic reasons, most plasma is generated in a torus - resulting in uneven target erosion.

"Only 30 per cent of the target is actually used before it wears out," said Thwaites.

Plasma Quest's main intellectual property is in the remote generation of plasma in a quartz tube in the side of the main reaction chamber. "We get a target utilisation of 90 per cent," claimed Thwaites.

Plasma Quest website: http://www.plasma-quest.com

Article source: Steve Bush - Electronics Weekly