Thin-film Deposition

Spang Power Electronics is a manufacturer of custom power equipment installed throughout the Vacuum Coating Industry. Spang’s expertise in feature-based power control and conversion equipment has enabled us become an innovator for the following applications.

Thermal Evaporation

Thermal Evaporation is a method of depositing a thin film of source material on the surface of an object. In a high vacuum chamber, an element electrically heats a source material until it vaporizes; typically on a resistive filament, within a dimpled boat, or in a crucible basket. The vacuum allows the vapor a free path to condense on the target object creating a thin protective or decorative coating. Precise control of the power delivered to the element regulates the temperature and rate of deposition while reducing waste.

Spang Power Electronics’ SCR controllers, transformers, and power control systems provide highly accurate, controlled power to all types of evaporation boats, crucible baskets, and filaments. Available in single or three phase power topologies, Spang’s technology allows for direct control and retransmission of secondary Voltage, Current and Power feedback over analog, digital, or network communication platforms.

Cathodic Arc Deposition

Some deposition techniques use an electric arc to ionize the source material. An electric arc is capable of producing extremely high temperatures at the cathodic spot to vaporize and ionize source materials thus forming a range of hard-film coatings. Similar to thermal evaporation, this takes place in a high vacuum chamber to increase the overall purity and appearance of the deposited film.

Spang Power Electronics provides both SCR and IGBT based Power Controllers configured as direct current rectifiers. These are available in six (6) pulse, twelve (12) pulse, DC chopper, and switch mode power supply (SMPS) configurations with precise digital current control, ripple filtering, and network communications.