초록 ▼

A method and apparatus is provided which produces a layer of material on a substrate by extracting ions from a laser ablation plume in a vacuum environment. In a basic embodiment, the apparatus includes a vacuum chamber containing a target material and a laser focused on the target to ablate the mat

A method and apparatus is provided which produces a layer of material on a substrate by extracting ions from a laser ablation plume in a vacuum environment. In a basic embodiment, the apparatus includes a vacuum chamber containing a target material and a laser focused on the target to ablate the material and ionize a portion of the ablation plume. An accelerating grid within the vacuum chamber is charged to extract the ions from the plume and direct the ions onto a substrate to grow the layer. The basic embodiment has produced diamond-like carbon films on a clean, unseeded silicon substrate at deposition rates approaching 20 microns per hour. The diamond-like carbon films produced were of exceptional quality: uniform thickness with a surface roughness about 1 Angstrom; uniform index of refraction within the range of 1.5-2.5; resistivity greater than 40 megs ohms per centimeter; and a hard surface resistant to physical abuse. An enhanced embodiment includes multiple targets within the vacuum chamber and mechanisms to selectively produce ions from each target. Thus, layers of different materials or doped materials can be made on the substrate. Additionally, the enhanced embodiment includes a mechanism for making patterns or circuits within each layer. One version incorporates a mask within the ion fluence and ion optics to magnify the mask pattern onto the substrate. Another version uses ion optics to form an ion beam and deflection plates controlling the ion beam to write the desired pattern on the substrate.

대표청구항 ▼

An apparatus for producing a layer of material comprising: laser means selectably operable for directing a laser beam along a first path of travel; a chamber; means for creating a vacuum within said chamber; means for holding a target material at a target location within the chamber generally along

An apparatus for producing a layer of material comprising: laser means selectably operable for directing a laser beam along a first path of travel; a chamber; means for creating a vacuum within said chamber; means for holding a target material at a target location within the chamber generally along the first path of travel; focusing means disposed along said first path of travel for focusing the laser beam at the target location to eject and ionize a portion of the target material; electrode means disposed within the chamber and chargeable at an electrical potential and positioned adjacent ions and trailing free electrons for separating and moving said ions and electrons from the target location along a second path of travel within the chamber; and means for supporting a substrate disposed along the second path of travel with the chamber for collecting ions and trailing free electrons on the substrate to produce a layer of material on the substrate. A method for producing a layer of material comprising the steps of: positioning a first target of first material in a chamber; creating a vacuum within the chamber enveloping the first target; directing a laser beam at the first target; focusing the laser beam on the first target; ablating a portion of the first target with the laser beam focused on the target to eject a plume of the first target material; ionizing part of the plume with the laser beam impacting the plume to create ions and trailing free electrons in the region of the plume; moving at least some of the ions and trailing free electrons from the region towards a charged potential within the chamber along an ion path of travel; positioning a substrate along the ion path of travel; and collecting the ions and trailing free electrons on the substrate to form a layer of material on the substrate.