Picodeon has developed the Picodeon ColdAb Series 4 thin-film deposition system for the use of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in volume manufacturing.
The ColdAb Series 4 system delivers industrial-scale PLD coating production of four inch wafer sizes, including the fully-automated delivery of substrates to the pre-clean chamber and to the main Coldab coating chamber.
The deposition chamber includes features that have been developed by Picodeon, and uses the ColdAb process which enables large-area thin-film coating deposition using a high frequency picosecond laser. The cold ablation process has a smooth and particle-free surface, and the target material’s stoichiometry may be fully transferred to the thin-film on the substrate. This is an important issue when dealing with oxides and composites, for example.
The system provides multi-layer deposition capability for materials including oxides, metals, and several composites, and also enables temperature-sensitive polymers to be coated. Picodeon will use the system to commercialise new applications based on a range of coating materials including its Nicanite graphitic carbon nitride. Precious metals such as gold and oxides for the semiconductor and sensor industries are currently under development.