Advancements in Yttrium Oxide Coatings

Node size decreases in semi-fab are leading to more stringent requirements for materials that are commonly applied using thermal spray. For example; Yttria coatings, APS applied will have to have higher densities and improved surface roughness then are currently attainable. Surface Modification Systems Inc. is developing new methods of thermal spray that may meet these requirements and in fact extend the application base to include materials such as ALON. Furthermore, the newer processes exclude the need to roughen quartz surfaces for coating adherence thereby eliminating subsurface cracks. Here we report on preliminary results from our activities on yttria coatings characterized using SEM, XRD and etch tests.