Horizontal Inline Vacuum systems for lab and small scale production
ASTRA-S is a vacuum coating system based on magnetron sputtering with horizontal substrate loading. In its basic configuration it has a similar principle as a batch coater (when each loading is made after previous carrier is unloaded) but it can be modified to inline mode with continuous production with predefined cycle time.
The idea behind the ASTRA-S coater is the following:
- to create a small coater that repeats and executes exactly the same coating conditions of the mass production inline coater; it provides the possibility to make process developments and production configuration in similar conditions and to therefore start mass production of a new process with a minimal time loss of time production capabilities;
- to offer a solution that can grow together with the customer´s business starting from lab. The idea behind is the modification to a production coater with high throughput.
Coater description
ASTRA-S coating system is consist of one loading table and vacuum chambers (load lock and process chambers) that are all installed in clean room. Basic ASTRA-S design is one-end, that means loading and unloading is made from one side. It means coater in basic configuration works in batch mode when new loading is made only after the previous one is completely finished. Optionally coater can be modified for two-ends design when loading and unloading is made from opposite sides and coating process is made in inline mode with predefined cycle time.
Thus basic configuration of ASTRA-S may be modified on production coater with significantly increased throughput.
Substrates are loaded on the transport carriers that go through vacuum load lock chamber to process chamber (sputtering area). In process chamber carrier makes scanning movements in front of the magnetron system to get necessary coating thickness.
Process chambers can be equipped with all necessary technological systems for substrate cleaning, thin film coating and postreatment if required.
Coater control is made from HMI + PLC system in fully automated mode.
Available generation
By coating area size ASTRA-S is available in the next versions:
- GEN 2 with coating area 370x420 mm
Other variation (not standard) can be discussed.
Productivity
As a lab coater with a potential for modification to a small scale production ASTRA-S in a basic version works in a so called scanning mode. In this case productivity depends on layer thickness (numbers of scans).
Due to its modular design ASTRA-S can be extended by the installation of additional process chambers and a load lock chamber at the end which enables to transform the lab coater to a production coater.
Available coating processes
Having modular design ASTRA-S coater structure can be scaled and optimized for different production task. The following technological devises can be used:
- Ion Beam Cleaning system
- RF plasma cleaning system
- Planar magnetron sputtering station (DC or AC)
- Cylindrical rotary magnetron sputtering station (DC or AC)
- RF magnetrons
- optical monitoring
Substrate type:
- glass
- PET (or other plastic films)
- other material by request
For details about configuration please contact us.
