COMPUTERIZATION OF PVD PROCESS

According to CIRP, Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) is a vacuum process allowing material transfer in the form of vapor particles from a material source (target) to the substrate.(Bouzakis, Konstantinos-Dionysios,2014)

From the beginning of early 1960s,PVD been used in the fabrication of Integrated Circuits and other highly sensitive devices. PLCs (programmable logic controllers) were used in the early years as a part of PVD equipment. In the 1980s,the PLCs were replaced by computers in the PVD equipment. The process of integration of PVD equipment with computers however happened at a very slow pace. The PLC control platform remained as part of PVD equipment for some more years. In the mean time, due to limitations of PLC, critical tasks related to PVD were postponed. Using present day computing technologies, vacuum integrity is tracked and analyzed. Complex vacuum manipulation provides an angle-of-incidence control which was neither cost effective nor reliable in the earlier years. Deposition rate and thickness are measured in real-time and variations are easily compensated. The control system architecture with the computer as an integral part enhances process control. New software platforms enable development of the best graphical user interfaces. This maximizes performance and value. With the advent of Internet,remote controlling of operations in real time is possible. This has helped in PVD system design for the past 12 years. Design,development engineers routinely use the world wide web for data,voice and video transmissions. PVD technical services, today are through web cameras. Computer controlled PVD systems operate in clean room or controlled environment. Cleanliness and control over vacuum deposition maintains particulates at satisfactory levels. A recent development is the use of tablet computers for improved readouts. The tablet computers are mounted where data is clearly visible. With the availability of cellular network service, required files are transmitted as and when required during the operations. A tablet computer can also be used for clean-room applications like residual gas analysis and leak detection. In conclusion, it is stated that computerization has led to increased productivity(Malocsay).

References

Bouzakis, Konstantinos-Dionysios. (2014). CIRP Encyclopedia of Production Engineering. In Luc. Laperrière, (Ed.), Berlin Heidelberg, Springer-Verlag.

Malocsay, C. (n.d.). Computer-controlled PVD systems advance operational effectiveness. Retrieved June 30, 2016, from http://www.electronicproducts.com/ Computer_Peripherals /Systems/Vacuum_deposition_control_systems_use_mobile_apps.aspx