ELNaS (EnSol Linear Nanoparticle Source)

The production of the perfect nanoparticle still remains the main objective of the scientific academic community. Ultra-high vacuum systems, requiring lengthy “baking-out” procedures are utilised to create the pristine conditions needed for such research. This is a far cry from today’s industrial thin film coating, where a 6 m x 3 m piece of glass can be loaded, washed, pumped-down (to high vacuum), coated (with a complex multi-stack of  materials) – to nanometre precision, and prepared for shipment in under 2 minutes. EnSol has the long term commercial objective of developing and marketing an industrial nanoparticle source (INS), aimed at the international thin film coatings industry. It is the aim of the ELNaS innovation project to conduct the necessary intermediate research and development to bridge the technology gap between EnSol’s current state of the art, lab scale nanoparticle source and an industrial system. Fundamental design changes have previously been made in the concept of EnSol’s new nanoparticle source, moving away from more academic systems. An increase in nanoparticle deposition rate of over 40 times that of conventional academic systems has already been achieved, with a dramatic increase in long term stability and target material life-time. This means typical samples can now be produced in less than 10 minutes. This is still some way from a deposition process that is truly compatible with current industrial thin-film practices however, but is seen as a critical step towards an ultimate industrial system. The next key milestone in this ambitious project has now been completed. The latest source design has now shifted away from the traditional gaussian, circular type nanoparticle beam profile, to a linear “bar” type deposit, which can be readily scanned across a substrate to produce a uniform coating. This project will allow EnSol to continue to stay ahead of the PVD nanoparticle production technology at an international level, and to make a major technological step forward towards realisation of a cost effective industrial PVD nanoparticle system.