Insulators for PVD, CVD and Plasma Systems

High dielectric strength and high chemical inertness of Boron Nitride even at higher temperatures makes it uniquely qualified for a variety of shielding and insulation components in harsh, high temperature environments, such as PVD, CVD and plasma.  

Insulators for PVD, CVD Systems

BN components such as insulating shrouds and rails, target frames, protective tubes, shields and liners as well as insulators ensure that the PVD arc remains constrained towards the target, preventing equipment damage. Boron Nitride Combat® grade AX05 is commonly used as an alternative for pyrolytic Boron Nitride in these applications. Furthermore, any unwanted metal deposits that can still arise in PVD and Plasma systems can be easily removed from surfaces that have been previously coated using our Combat® BN liquid suspensions.

Plasma Chambers for Hall Effect Thrusters

One common application for Saint-Gobain Boron Nitride is channels used in Hall-effect thrusters for satellites. A Hall Effect thruster combines an electric field with a magnetic field to ionize a gas flow (typically Xenon) to generate plasma. The electric field inside an annular channel accelerates the ions in the plasma to very high exhaust velocities.

For the plasma chamber in a Hall Effect Thruster to work, an advanced ceramic is required that can withstand the high temperatures from the plasma generation process, whilst keeping the ionization efficiency at the highest possible values. Boron Nitride does just that due to its excellent resistance to sputtering as well as its secondary electron emission properties. Saint-Gobain grades HP, M26 and AX05 are successfully being used in this application worldwide.