Equipment for magnetron technologies

In the laboratory of ion-plasma technologies (LIPT) of the Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) during a number of years the investigations of processes of material forming in plasma at low pressure have been carried out. The received results are in the basis of elaborated technologies of coat forming from metals and their compounds. Coatication of special coatings increase the technical level of production and value of wares. Besides a lot of materials in the form of thin coats on the bearing basis have unique qualities and developed sphere of application.

During the works the specialists of the laboratory make a large attention to the technical ensuring of investigations. Efforts, focused on practical result achievement, allowed to produce a base universal facility for synthesis and coatication of coating in 1994. The author's elaborations of magnetron pulverizes and vacuum system, produced in OAO SELMI (Sumy, Ukrain) have been used in the facility. Mass of the facility is 300 kg, power is 3 kW (fig. 1).

Fig.1 Universal magnetron facility

Complex of research and technical works, carried out in the laboratory of the IPT INP, is directed to creation of technologies, equipment and new materials intended for industrial usage.

A new impulse of the development of applied investigations was given in the process of carrying out of the project ISTC K-040C-97 "Technology for manufacturing the beryllium materials and coatings and investigation of its properties at the conditions simulating the temperature-strength, gaseous and radiation effects of thermonuclear reactor". To the end of the project the practical results in the field of process elaboration and equipment for coating and thin foils producing from beryllium and other materials have been received.

One of the main characteristics - speed of coatication of coating - was increased in several times and reached 4 mkm/min for metallic coatings and 0.5 mkm/min for synthesized coatings like TiN. A high speed of precipitation not only reduces a cycle of precipitation but also increases the quality of coatings.
Increasing of productivity of magnetron pulverizes is provided by increasing of energetic effectiveness of the system of dispersion i.e. owing to amelioration of qualitative activities of the equipment. It is provided first of all by elaboration of original construction of magnetron units and creation of specialized system of power supply. Magnetrons work in the load continuous duty at a large power density to targets - up to 150 W/cm².

Another important condition of coating quality consists of decrease of mixture concentration in technical argon or in working gas mixture. Gas needs in deep multi-step purification before its entering in the working camera. At the same time argon goes through the original purifying installation of a magnetron type.

A large attention is also given to additional processes - in particular preparation of ware surface before coating forming. The preliminary purification of working surface is carried out using a steam of organic solvents. On the last stage the ware is subjected to ion etching in working camera before precipitation. A careful preparation of ware surface provides a good adhesion of coatings.

Using equipment created in the laboratory a number of industrial technologies has been designed:

• Thin foil manufacture from beryllium, other metals or their combinations including immiscible metals
• Coatication of stable to wear coatings from noble metals
• Synthesis of protective and decorative metals from titanium nitride
• Coating receiving from niobium compounds for ribbon superconducting cables with a high critical current

On the plant of non-ferrous metals (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan) the technological line of protective coating precipitation from precious metals on wares of with using of vacuum magnetron facilities produced in the laboratory of IPT INP has been working beginning with 1994. Experience work in the industry showed the reliability of elaborated technique at a long operation.

On the basis of technical results of investigations more than 20 patents in Kazakhstan and Russia have been registered.