SVC Education Program
Detailed SVC Course Syllabus
Nathaniel Sugerman Memorial Course
C-101 A Primer on Thin Films and Vacuum Technology
Nathaniel Sugerman was a founding member, an avid supporter, and mentor of the Society of Vacuum Coaters. This course was created in his memory for newcomers to the vacuum coating industry and for those nontechnical people associated with the industry who wish to obtain a basic education in thin film and vacuum technology. The course is intended for people who are complete novices in the field. Typical attendees are new hires just getting into the coating industry, office personnel that deal with coating technology but do not understand the terminology, and sales personnel new to the industry.
This course will provide an overview of vacuum and thin film technology associated with the manufacture of a variety of consumer products. These products include compact discs, food packaging barrier coatings (e.g., potato chip bags), sunglasses and ophthalmic coatings, optical coatings, and integrated circuits.
The deposition techniques used to manufacture the above-listed products will be described at the introductory level, including sputtering, evaporation, and chemical vapor deposition. In addition, a survey of various methods to clean and prepare substrates will be discussed. The nature of what a vacuum is, how it is achieved, and the techniques required to maintain the necessary vacuum for the above deposition processes will be described in some detail. Vacuum measurement techniques and residual gas analysis will be given a brief overview. Students will be given a private preview of typical key exhibits at the TechCon prior to the opening of the Exhibit Hall.
Course Content
Instructor: Leon McCrary, consultant