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What is Ion Plating?

What is Ion Plating?

Ion plating is a technology originally developed in the 1950s in the USA, as part of NASA's space and aerospace technologies. It then spread around the world as a method to improve durability in cutting tools and molds. This technology uses heat along with energy from plasma to vaporize metal in a vacuum environment, combine it with a reactive gas to form a ceramic that is then used to bombard (coat) a workpiece. In comparison with traditional wet plating, it is superior in abrasion resistance and adhesiveness.

Our company uses two types of PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) methods: Arc Ion Plating and UBM Sputtering.

Features of Ion Plating

1. Superior Durability

By bonding vaporized metal with reactive gas, a hard, ceramic thin-film can be formed, which is more abrasion resistant than wet plating and effectively improves the longevity of the product.

2. Highly Adhesive

When discharged, the film-forming metal atoms ionize in plasma with high kinetic energy thereby accelerating and colliding with the workpiece to form a highly adhesive thin film.

3. Hypoallergenic Metal

Our Ion Plating mainly uses titanium so you don't need to worry about metal allergies. Titanium is biocompatible and rarely causes metal allergies, so it is often used in eye-glass frames, in repairing bones within the body, in screws for dental implants, surgical instruments etc.

Principles of Arc Ion Plating

Arc Ion Plating is a technology whereby film-forming metal for coating is evaporated in a vacuum environment and ionized by positive charges from an arc discharge, attracting it to a workpiece to which negative charges have been applied, thereby forming a highly adhesive, hard ceramic thin-film. The main metal for film deposition is titanium. Chromium, copper, aluminum etc. are also used. When the film-forming metal is titanium, by injecting a reactive gas such as N2 (nitrogen) or C2H2 (acetylene) to bond with the titanium, a ceramic film coating such as TiN (titanium nitride) or TiCN (titanium carbide-nitride) etc. will form, causing a particular coloring; gold, brown, grey, black etc.

Principles of Sputtering

In a vacuum environment, plasma (glow discharge) is generated by injecting an inert gas such as argon that does not react with the film-forming metal, and applying a high voltage between the workpiece and the target (plate-shaped film-forming metal). Positively charged argon ions ionized by the glow discharge then collide at high speed with the target to which negative charges have been applied. As the (sputtered) film-forming metal struck by this collision is attracted to the workpiece to which a negative charge has been applied, a hard ceramic thin-film with excellent adhesiveness will be produced. The main metal for film deposition is titanium. Chromium, copper, aluminum etc. are also used. When the film-forming metal is titanium, by injecting a reactive gas such as N2 (nitrogen) or C2H2 (acetylene) to bond with the titanium, a ceramic film coating such as TiN (titanium nitride) or TiCN (titanium carbide-nitride) etc. will form, causing a particular coloring; gold, brown, grey, black etc.

UBM Sputtering

Our company uses Unbalanced Magnetron sputtering. In ordinary magnetron sputtering, a magnet is installed behind the target, this magnetic field generates an area of thick plasma on the front surface of the target, thereby increasing the speed of collision with the workpiece. In UBM sputtering, the outer magnet is strengthened by an inner magnet, thereby extending the width of the strength of the magnetic field over the target towards the workpiece, increasing the volume and range of the ion bombardment, and resulting in improved adhesion in comparison with magnetron sputtering.

Film Deposition Process

Venting, Etching (Arc Ion Plating, Similar to Sputtering)

  • The workpiece is placed on the rotating table inside the chamber
  • Multiple vacuum pumps are activated to create a vacuum atmosphere inside the chamber
  • Argon is injected as an inert gas
  • The potential difference between the etching power supply and the chamber inner wall begins to discharge
  • Argon gas ionizes to become argon ions (Ar+)
  • Argon ions (Ar+) collide at high energy with the workpiece to remove foreign matter from the surface

Coating (Arc Ion Plating)

  • Multiple film forming metals (mainly titanium), called targets, are installed on the inner surface of the vacuum chamber
  • Nitrogen is injected as a process gas
  • Vacuum arc discharge is generated on the target surface
  • The titanium instantly melts and evaporates, ionizing in the plasma to become Ti+
  • Nitrogen converts to nitrogen ions (N-) in the plasma
  • Nitrogen ions (N-) and titanium ions (Ti+) bond to become titanium nitride (TiN) on the surface of the workpiece
  • The workpiece rotates and revolves, and titanium nitride is deposited upon it every time it passes in front of the target
  • Formation of a gold colored ceramic film

Coating (Sputtering)

  • Multiple film forming metals (mainly titanium), called targets, are installed on the inner surface of the vacuum chamber
  • Argon is injected as an inert gas
  • A negatively charged high voltage is applied to the target, causing glow discharge
  • As a result of glow discharge, argon becomes a positive ion (Ar+) and collides at high speeds with the surface of the negatively charged target
  • Titanium particles are forced off the target and ionize in the plasma to become Ti+
  • Nitrogen is injected as a process gas
  • Nitrogen converts to nitrogen ions (N-) in the plasma
  • Nitrogen ions (N-) and titanium ions (Ti+) bond to become titanium nitride (TiN) on the surface of the workpiece
  • The workpiece rotates and revolves, and titanium nitride is deposited upon it every time it passes in front of the target
  • Formation of a gold colored ceramic film