Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS
Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS

Equipment

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Coating system Multi-Sputter-Lab 600 (MSL600)

Multi-Sputter-Lab 600 (MSL600 of the manufacturer VTD Vakuumtechnik Dresden GmbH).
© Fraunhofer IWS
Multi-Sputter-Lab 600 (MSL600 of the manufacturer VTD Vakuumtechnik Dresden GmbH).
Schematics of the Multi-Sputter-Lab 600 (MSL600).
© Fraunhofer IWS
Schematics of the Multi-Sputter-Lab 600 (MSL600).

Reactive multilayer systems (RMS) are produced via PVD processes, such as magnetron sputtering. 

Magnetron sputtering offers the advantages of precisely controlled manufacturing, as well as the ability to scale up for high volume production. With the Multi-Sputter-Lab 600 (MSL600 of the manufacturer VTD Vakuumtechnik Dresden GmbH) it is possible to produce free-standing RMS foils for mobile applications as well as to coat components over their entire surface or in a structured manner.

The MSL600 has four magnetron coating sources, which can be operated with powers of up to 10 kW, and two substrate cleaning stations. In addition to RMS deposition, it is thus possible to carry out pre-cleaning steps such as smoldering or ion beam etching as well as the deposition of solder and wetting layers.

Up to five components or RMS with dimensions of up to 430 x 220 mm2 can be homogeneously coated on a six-fold polygon substrate carrier arranged in the center of the coating sources. At maximum capacity, RMS with an area of up to 4730 cm2 can be produced in a single pass. Substrate cooling ensures reliable heat dissipation from the components to be coated as well as a high energy yield from the RMS produced.
 

 

Joining device

Device for pressurized joining with reactive multilayer systems.
© Fraunhofer IWS
Device for pressurized joining with reactive multilayer systems.

Components are joined at Fraunhofer IWS using a portal-style joining device with a pneumatic cylinder and a load cell for the joining pressure display. The components to be joined are positioned together with the RMS on the load cell and subjected to a joining pressure via the pneumatic cylinder, which can be precisely adjusted via a display. The RMS reaction is usually initiated by an electrical spark or heat supply. Within fractions of a second, components are thus joined together gently and very quickly.


Advantages of the joining process with RMS

  • Defined internal heat source
  • Short term and tailored heat input
  • Minimization of thermal distortion and stresses in components
  • Possibility of joining materials of the same and different types
  • Process times of < 1s
  • Solid joints with high thermal and electrical conductivity
  • No oxygen required (use in vacuum/under water)

DSC measuring instrument

Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Type: HDSC PT1600/1750 °C.
© Fraunhofer IWS
Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Type: HDSC PT1600/1750 °C.

Differential scanning calorimetry is used for thermal analysis to measure the heat given off (exothermic) or absorbed (endothermic).

Various RMS properties, such as enthalpy and temperatures, are determined using the HDSC PT1600 from Linseis Messgeräte GmbH. Furthermore, thermal properties of different materials and alloys as well as powders can be determined.

High-speed camera

High-speed image of a self-propagating reaction front of a nickel-aluminum RMS. © Fraunhofer IWS

High-speed cameras are used wherever movements or material behavior must be analyzed that cannot be detected by the human eye or conventional cameras. The very fast (less than one second) RMS reaction process is recorded by this camera from beginning to end, which allows an analysis of the RMS reaction. Thus, among other things, the reaction front velocity and the course can be analyzed.

COMSOL Multiphysics®

The research team uses the COMSOL MultiphysicsMultiphysics® software to analyze the temperatures applied to the components to be joined during an RMS joining process. Important parameters such as heat influenced zone and time as well as temperatures are determined in a 1D or 2D model. The collected data, together with other scientifically based facts, are used in the development of the manufacturing and joining process of the RMS.