Ionfab 300 Plus IBD

The Oxford Instruments Ionfab 300 Plus IBD is an ion beam deposition system. Ion beam deposition systems use a beam of energetic ions to sputter material from a target onto a substrate, forming a thin film. The Ionfab 300 Plus IBD is part of the Oxford Instruments Ionfab 300 family. The system handles wafers with diameters of 6-inch to 8-inch. The Ionfab 300 Plus IBD is a deposition tool that processes wafers in a vacuum environment.^[3][4]

The Ionfab 300 Plus IBD generates an ion beam using DC hot wire filament ion guns. The ion beam strikes a target material, ejecting atoms that deposit onto the substrate. The substrate is held on a planetary motion system, which provides uniform coating. Film thickness is monitored with a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The system includes a loadlock with a robot and secondary pumping, allowing the vacuum to be maintained inside the deposition chamber for higher throughput.^[4][3]

Ion beam deposition systems like the Ionfab 300 Plus IBD are used for a variety of thin film applications. Common applications include optical coatings, such as anti-reflective coatings and dielectric mirrors. The process is also used for magnetic films in sensor and memory devices, as well as for hard coatings and barrier layers in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The ability to deposit high-quality films at low temperatures makes ion beam deposition suitable for compound semiconductor devices and optoelectronic components.