Interface Characteristics, Erosion Behavior, and Thermal Shock Resistance of Al–Ta Alloy Coatings Produced by Arc Spraying

The pure aluminum coatings of physical vapor deposition chambers used in current semiconductor processes offer insufficient protection against ion bombardment. In this study, the arc spraying process was used to produce Al–Ta alloy coatings to replace pure aluminum coatings. The microstructure, mechanical properties, and particle erosion properties of these coatings were investigated at 1% and 3% Ta content and compared with those of pure Al. The surface and surface morphologies of the three coatings were similar. However, Ta was uniformly dispersed to form a supersaturated solid solution in the 1Ta and 3Ta coatings. The tensile results indicated that the adhesion of the three coatings was similar. According to particle erosion results, cohesive strength and erosion resistance apparently increased. Moreover, the thermal shock effect caused by the extreme thermal cycle in these chambers causes coating degradation. So, this study compared the thermal shock properties of the Al–Ta alloy coatings with Y2O3 ceramic coating. The 1Ta and 3Ta coatings did not differ considerably from pure Al coating in terms of thermal shock resistance, and all three were higher than that of the Y2O3 coating. The aforementioned results indicate that the produced Al–Ta alloy coatings can offer superior chamber protection ability.