PVD-/PACVD-Unit

• Subject Area: Materials Engineering
• Term: Funded in 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 518562099

Within the scope of this major research instrumentation proposal, a coating unit is requested for research purposes, which is based on physical vapor deposition (PVD) and plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD) as process technology. With these processes, it is possible to deposit a variety of materials on substrates as a thin layer (a few micrometers thickness) by physical and/or plasma-activated chemical processes. For the planned research projects, the preferred PVD process is cathodic sputtering. In this process, ions of an inert gas are accelerated towards a solid target switched as a cathode, and the coating material is sublimated from this target in mainly atomic form in the course of a collision cascade, so that the coating material is present in gaseous form in the evacuated coating chamber from this point on. Following a transport phase, a solid, thin film is deposited on the substrate by condensation of these atoms. The equipment applied for has been designed by the manufacturer for the above-mentioned process technologies and corresponds to the current state of the art. The functionality of the films is due to the film material and the process used, whereby combinations of materials and processes are possible. Layer properties and characteristics can be specifically adjusted by varying the deposition parameters (such as chamber temperature, cathode power, substrate movement, etc.). Of particular interest for the planned research projects are tribologically effective coatings (friction and wear reduction), biocompatible coatings and coatings that allow the integration of additional functions in surfaces, such as condition monitoring, measurement or energy harvesting. They are used, for example, in drive technology, energy technology and medical technology.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: PVD-/PACVD-Anlage
• Instrumentation Group: 0920 Atom- und Molekularstrahl-Apparaturen
• Applicant Institution: Universität Bayreuth
• Leader: Professor Dr.-Ing. Stephan Tremmel