Evaporator Boats: A Comparison of Types and Tips for Maximizing Productivity

Presented by Chris Decker, Kennametal

Evaporator boats consisting of boron nitride, titanium diboride and sometimes, aluminum nitride, are resistively heated to evaporate aluminum onto film. The composition can be 2-component (boron nitride and titanium diboride) or 3-component (addition of aluminum nitride). The geometry includes trapezoidal or rectangular with a variety of surface features. This study will review the performance of the different compositions as well as designs. Suggestions for optimizing performance will also be presented.