Simple evaporation controller for thin-film deposition from a resistively heated boat
A simple, inexpensive circuit is described for switching the current through a resistively heated evaporation boat during thin-film deposition. The circuit uses a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) to switch the 0-15-A current in the primary of a 2-kV A step-down transformer that supplies the 0-200-A current to an evaporation boat. The circuit is controlled by a 0-10 V-dc signal similar to that furnished by an Inficon XTC deposition-rate controller. This circuit may be assembled from a handful of parts for a cost of about $400, nearly one-tenth the cost of similar commercial units. Minimum construction is required, since the circuit is built around an off-the-shelf, self-contained SCR unit.