Kyocera Corporation

Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

Mamoru Satou

Kouichi Yamaguchi

Kohichi Yamaguchi

A method for forming a thin film on a substrate, which comprises aligning an evaporation means for an evaporating material to be deposited on the substrate, a plasma generating zone for dissociating an ion-forming gas into ions and electrons, an ion beam accelerating zone for accelerating the resulting ions and irradiating them onto the substrate, and said substrate on a substantially straight line in the order stated, and depositing a vapor of the evaporating material on the substrate through the plasma generating zone and the ion beam accelerating zone. According to this method, surface irradiation can be carried out uniformly because the ion species and the vapor atoms are irradiated in quite the same direction. Furthermore, the vapor atoms can be activated to a high degree, and the by-product electrons can be effectively utilized for the evaporation of the evaporant.

Apparatus for thin film formation

Method for thin film formation

In a process for the production of a high-hardness boron nitride film by vacuum-depositing a boron component on a substrate from a boron-containing vacuum deposition source and simultaneously irradiating the substrate with an ion seed comprising at least nitrogen from an ion-generating source, if the atomic ratio (B/N) between boron and nitrogen supplied from the vacuum deposition source and the ion seed is adjusted within a range of from 4 to 25, the ion acceleration energy of the ion seed is adjusted to 5 to 100 KeV per atom of the ion seed and vacuum deposition and irradiation are carried out in an atmosphere of a nitrogen atom or nitrogen compound activated at an energy level lower than that of the ion seed, the hardness and quality of the film are highly improved. Furthermore, if a negative bias voltage is applied to the substrate at the vacuum deposition and irradiation with the seed ion, the film-forming speed can be increased and the hardness and quality of the film are further improved.

Growing community of inventors

Kawanishi, Japan

Mamoru Satou