Vacuum pumps for vacuum coating

The chamber with the substrate is evacuated, then the coating is applied. In PVD, the material is evaporated or sputtered and, according to Edwards, condenses on the substrate in high vacuum; in CVD, a gas reacts at the substrate, according to Edwards from 10⁻³ mbar. According to Atlas Copco, the vacuum ensures uniform, adherent coatings; according to Busch, surfaces are coated in a clean vacuum chamber.

PVD (physical vapour deposition) evaporates or sputters a solid material that is deposited on the substrate – according to Edwards, evaporation and condensation in high vacuum, according to Leybold at 10⁻² to 10⁻⁶ mbar. CVD (chemical vapour deposition) lets process gases react at the substrate, according to Edwards from 10⁻³ mbar; according to Pfeiffer Vacuum, ALD runs at 10⁻¹ to 5 mbar. For CVD and ALD, Pfeiffer Vacuum names corrosive or powdery by-products.

Leybold names 10⁻² to 10⁻⁶ mbar for wear protection and decorative coatings, 10⁻² to 10⁻³ mbar for optical multilayer coatings, 10⁻² to 10⁻³ mbar for operating glass coating systems and 10⁻¹ to 10⁻³ mbar for roll-to-roll coating. Edwards describes PVD as evaporation and condensation in high vacuum; Atlas Copco names high vacuum for uniform, adherent coatings.

For PVD coatings, Leybold names DRYVAC, SCREWLINE and SOGEVAC with RUVAC as backing pumps, alongside VARODRY and POWER BOOST; for PVD, Pfeiffer Vacuum names A4 and TORRI, and for decorative PVD colour coatings ACP, DuoVane, HiLobe and HiScroll; for PVD, Busch names COBRA NX/DS, PANDA WV and PUMA WY as well as the COBRA Semicon series. For high vacuum, Edwards names backing pumps together with turbo pumps or cryopumps.

For PECVD/SACVD, ALD and LPCVD/diffusion, Pfeiffer Vacuum names the A4 series – for ALD with 1,800 to 4,500 m³/h at 10⁻¹ to 5 mbar; Busch lists ALD, LPCVD/diffusion and PECVD with the COBRA Semicon series and CVD/PECVD for anti-reflective coatings with COBRA DS; Edwards names CVD and ALD from 10⁻³ mbar with EXS; Atlas Copco names hard coating by CVD/DLC with DWS VSD+.

The manufacturers name both. Leybold lists the oil-lubricated SOGEVAC and TRIVAC alongside the dry DRYVAC, SCREWLINE, DURADRY and NOVADRY; Atlas Copco lists the dry DWS and DWS VSD+ as well as the oil-lubricated GVD and GLS; Busch lists the oil-lubricated R5 alongside the dry COBRA and MINK; for glass coating, Edwards names the dry EDS and EXS screw pumps, and for plasma treatment also E2S and E2M FX. For plasma processes, Leybold names pumps with PFPE filling (TRIVAC B BCS-PFPE, RUVAC PFPE).

Leybold describes architectural and automotive glass coating as PVD sputtering of multilayer coatings, in which the backing pumps cycle the load locks at 2–3 cycles per minute from 1,000 to 1 mbar; Leybold names SCREWLINE, DRYVAC, SOGEVAC and RUVAC, plus POWER BOOST as well as TURBOVAC, COOLVAC and DIJ/DIP for high vacuum. Edwards names EDS and EXS for fast pump-down cycles, Atlas Copco names DWS, DWS VSD+ and GLS for large-area glass coating, Pfeiffer Vacuum names ACP 120 and HiLobe for low-E, solar control and AR coatings inline, and Busch names COBRA, PANDA and R5.

Leybold names hard and decorative thin films on tools, metal and plastic parts at 10⁻² to 10⁻⁶ mbar with DRYVAC, SCREWLINE and SOGEVAC plus RUVAC; Pfeiffer Vacuum names hard coatings such as TiN and DLC on tools with DuoVane (also COMBI, HiLobe, HiScroll) and PVD colour coatings such as TiN and ZrN with ACP, DuoVane, HiLobe and HiScroll; Busch names wear protection with COBRA, PANDA/PUMA and R5 and decorative coating additionally with MINK; Atlas Copco names hard coating by CVD/DLC with DWS VSD+.

Leybold describes the coating of flexible webs by PVD, PECVD or evaporation at 10⁻¹ to 10⁻³ mbar and names oil-sealed, diffusion and dry industrial pumps, Roots pumps and cryopumps as well as the TURBOVAC i turbo pumps for this. For roll and strip coating, Atlas Copco names DWS VSD+; for web coating and plasma spraying, Edwards names EXS.

For CVD and ALD, Pfeiffer Vacuum names corrosive or powdery by-products – a separator or filter ahead of the pump holds back the dust. For plasma processes, Leybold names versions such as TRIVAC B BCS-PFPE, RUVAC with PFPE, VARODRY HD O2, DURADRY and DRYVAC; for plasma treatment and surface activation, Atlas Copco names GVD and DWS VSD+, and Edwards names E2S, E2M FX and nXRi.

A central system in a room of its own keeps noise and heat away from production and matches its output to the demand. Central vacuum systems are planned and built by Eugen Theis Vakuum, a company of the Ehrler & Beck group – more under Central Vacuum.

Yes. Ehrler & Beck offers original spare parts and accessories as well as maintenance and repair.