[labnetwork] Glow around metals during ebeam evaporation

[Chris Cott]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the reply!

We suspected charging but couldn't figure out the cause. We use a Mo
crucible liner for the Ag and a graphite one for the Cu. Is it possible
that, because the materials don't wet to the crucibles, there is poor
conductivity between the material and the crucible? As a first step I'll
try sanding the pockets to make sure the crucible liners and pockets have
good contact.

Warm regards,
Chris.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Cott     *BAppSc, BSc, PhD.*

Process Engineer,

Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication

151 Wellington Road, Clayton  3168

Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility
Ph:  +61 (3) 9905 1562

W:   http://nanomelbourne.com

W:   http://www.anff.org.au <http://anff.org.au/>

E:    chris.cott at nanomelbourne.com



On Tue, 15 Apr 2025 at 23:20, Rob Belan <robb at lesker.com> wrote:

> Hi Chris,
>
>
>
> What kind of crucible liner are you using for the metals?  It sounds like
> you are using an insulating crucible liner like Al2O3?  If so, you are not
> allowing the electrons to ground out.  This can then cause charging effects
> that you may be seeing.  Try switching to an electrically conductive
> crucible liner and this problem should go away for the metals.
>
>
>
> Take care.
>
>
>
> Rob
>
>
>
> Rob Belan​​​​
>
> Technical Director PVD Products
>
> Tel: +1 (412) 387-9200 x7378 <+1%20(412)%20387-9200%20x7378>
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> | Cell: +1 (412) 398-1275 <+1%20(412)%20398-1275>
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> *From:* labnetwork <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu> *On Behalf Of *Chris
> Cott
> *Sent:* Tuesday, April 15, 2025 3:01 AM
> *To:* labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
> *Subject:* [labnetwork] Glow around metals during ebeam evaporation
>
>
>
> You don't often get email from chris.cott at nanomelbourne.com. Learn why
> this is important <https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification>
>
> Hi all,
>
>
>
> We have been noticing an intermittent issue in two of our ebeam
> evaporators.
>
>
>
> The symptoms are:
>
> - A blue/green glow around the area the beam contacts the material
>
> - Higher than usual power requirements to evaporate
>
> - Partial deflection of the beam (e.g., a sweep pattern that is usually
> contained within the crucible starts to contact the edges)
>
>
>
> This happens only sometimes and only with certain materials, including Ag
> and Cu.
>
>
>
> Is anyone familiar with this and its cause? Is the glow plasma or
> Bremsstrahlung from electrons being deflected? Can anyone point us in the
> right direction towards a solution to the issue?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Chris
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Chris Cott     *BAppSc, BSc, PhD.*
>
> Process Engineer,
>
> Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication
>
> 151 Wellington Road, Clayton  3168
>
> Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility
>
> Ph:  +61 (3) 9905 1562
>
> W:   http://nanomelbourne.com
>
> W:   http://www.anff.org.au <http://anff.org.au/>
>
> E:    chris.cott at nanomelbourne.com
>
>
>
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