Indium Blog

Thin Film Technology: Maximize Evaporation Crucible Packing Density

Category:
  • Indium
  • Indium Corporation
  • Solar
  • Thin Film

  • With a set crucible volume, and run times limited by the amount of evaporation material in the crucible, the density of the material in the crucible becomes important. Any loose form of material will have gaps between the material pieces. This is especially true with traditional indium shot. To maximize the amount you can fit in a crucible, we can cast material into the shape of your crucible. This is the best way to increase your run times before breaking vacuum, and minimize surface area of the evaporation material. This should translate into producing more thin film solar cells, reel-to-reel web parts, or coated sheets of glass in your PVD (physical vapor deposition) process.

    Let me know if you’d like to learn more.

    Authored by previous Indium Application Manager Jim Hisert