新穎複合式電漿源硬質鍍膜技術

Novel hybrids plasma source technology in hard coating application

唐健富(Jian-Fu Tang) ； 羅國峻(Kuo-Chun Lo) ； 楊復期(Fu-Chi Yang) ； 張奇龍(Chi-Lung Chang)

《真空科技》 33卷2期 (2020/06) Pp. 52-62

摘要

工業硬質薄膜鍍膜技術主要以陰極電弧蒸鍍技術（Cathodic Arc Evaporation, CAE）為主，以磁控濺射技術（Magnetron Sputtering）為輔。前者具有高離化率、高沉積率與高附著力之優勢，唯在電弧源蒸發靶材時會產生大量與大小不一之融熔態的液滴，進而在薄膜成長時產生微粒（Particles, 1〜50μm）形成缺陷，使得薄膜具有非常粗糙之表面而降低薄膜之應用性質，且鍍後另需進行後拋處理之工序。為此，各種電弧源之設計均在為改善此一問題而精進。從小圓弧靶（2〜3吋直徑）、大圓弧靶（4〜6吋直徑）到柱狀圓柱靶（長度＞ 50cm）或矩形弧靶（大小可變，類似濺射靶），均利用靶背磁場或電磁場進行電弧移動之控制，藉由電弧快速移動、劈裂與細小化、降低靶面溫度等以達到減小（少）微粒與高靶材使用率之目的。唯受限電弧蒸發之特性，縱使加裝磁過濾管機構設計仍無法完全避免此一缺陷特性！磁控濺射技術已非常成熟應用在各種功能性鍍膜上，但在刀工模具硬質鍍膜應用上卻受限其低薄膜附著力而無法在高應力環境需求下之應用，但其優異的低表面粗糙度卻是其優勢特性。在近十年的電源技術發展下，一種新的高功率脈衝電源供應器結合磁控濺射電漿源的應用，形成了一種新的沉積技術：高功率脈衝磁控濺射技術（High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering, HiPIMS）。此技術提供了100%的離化率與高於傳統磁控濺射100〜1000倍的電漿密度特性，加上瞬間脈衝輸出產生的電漿衝擊動能使得薄膜較一般磁控濺射具有更高之附著性。唯其缺點在於超低之沉積率！基於上述，現今工業鍍膜設備均採用單一電漿源之製程技術製備薄膜。為此，本實驗室發展出結合矩形陰極電弧源與高功率脈衝磁控濺射源的系統配置，建置了國內外第一套的複合式電漿源硬質薄膜鍍膜系統。利用二組矩形陰極電弧源與二組高功率脈衝磁控濺射源來發展新的薄膜製程，並建立更高品質之薄膜特性，以做為新一代設備與製程發展之工業應用。以複合式電漿源硬質薄膜鍍膜系統沉積TiN薄膜為例，其結果證明薄膜具有更低之表面粗糙度（＜Ra=0.18μm）、更高之硬度（〜34GPa）與附著性（＞ 100N）。因此，結合此二種電漿源進行配置與製程優化後將可進一步提升硬質薄膜之特性與應用。

關鍵字

高功率脈衝磁控濺鍍 ； 陰極電弧蒸鍍 ； 機械性質 ； 氮化鈦

並列摘要

Technology of hard coating in industry is mainly based on Cathodic Arc Evaporation(CAE), and supplemented by magnetron sputtering (Magnetron Sputtering). CAE has the advantages of high ionization rate, deposition rate and adhesion strength. However, macro particles (so-called droplets) of the cathode material are emitted from the cathode as the arc locally and rapidly melts the source material, which led to the formation of particles on the thin film surface during growth process. The thin film with a very rough surface reduces the its applications, which led to a polishing process. Therefore, the design of various arc sources are refined to improve this problem. For various size of circular targets (2~3 or 4~6 inch diameter) ,cylindrical targets (length＞ 50cm) and rectangular targets (variable size, similar to sputtering targets) ,they control the arc movement by the magnetic field or electromagnetic field. Through the rapid movement of the arc, splitting and miniaturization, lowering the temperature of the target surface, etc. to achieve the purpose of reducing (less) particles and high utilization rate of target. Because the characteristics of arc evaporation, this particle problem cannot be solved even if the magnetic filter tube is installed. Magnetron sputtering technology have been widely applied to various functional coatings due to its superior properties (low surface roughness). But it is difficult to apply to hard coatings of knife molds under high stress environments due to its low film adhesion. Technology of power source has been developed in the past decades, researchers have combined a new high-power pulsed supply with magnetron sputtering in a new technology referred to as high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). Compared to convention magnetron sputtering, the film with higher adhesion strength for HiPIMS process due to its 100% ionization rate, high plasma density and ion bombard with high kinetic energy. But its disadvantage is the ultra-low deposition rate. As stated above, today's industrial coating equipment adopt a single plasma source to deposit thin films. Therefore, our laboratory developed a system configuration combining a rectangular cathode arc source and a high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering source, and built the first set of hard film coating system with composite plasma source at home and abroad. This configuration equipped with 2 sources of rectangular cathode arc and 2 high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering to develop new thin film processes and establish higher quality of thin film characteristics for the development of new generation equipment, processes and industrial applications. The TiN thin film was deposited by novel composite plasma source system as an example, the results indicated that the film has lower surface roughness (＜Ra = 0.18μm) ,higher hardness value (~34GPa) and adhesion strength (＞ 100N). Therefore, the parameter of configuration with two plasma sources was optimized and will further improve the characteristics and applications of the film.

並列關鍵字

High-power impulse magnetron sputtering ； cathode arc evaporation ； mechanical properties ； TiN