WO2023011733A1

WO2023011733A1 - Method of operating an evaporation system, deflection device, and evaporation system

Info

Publication number: WO2023011733A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/072036
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wolfgang Braun; Jochen Mannhart
Original assignee: MAX-PLANCK-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.
Priority date: 2021-08-06
Filing date: 2021-08-06
Publication date: 2023-02-09

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of operating an evaporation system (30), in particular a thermal laser evaporation system (30), for a deposition of source material (32) onto a substrate (36), the system (30) comprising a reaction chamber with a chamber wall for arranging the source (34) and the substrate (36), wherein a flow of source material (32) is changed from an initial flow (50) into an altered flow (60). Further, the present invention relates to a deflection device (10) for altering a flow of source material (32) from an initial flow (50) into an altered flow (60) in an evaporation system (30). In addition, the present invention relates to an evaporation system (30), in particular a thermal laser evaporation system (30), for a deposition of source material (32) onto a substrate (36), the source material (32) provided by a source (34), the system (30) comprising a reaction chamber with a chamber wall for arranging the source (34) and the substrate (36).

Description

Method of operating an evaporation system, deflection device, and evaporation system

The present invention relates to a method of operating an evaporation system, in particular a thermal laser evaporation system, for a deposition of source material onto a substrate, the system comprising a reaction chamber with a chamber wall for arranging the source and the substrate, wherein a flow of source material is changed from an initial flow into an altered flow. Further, the present invention relates to a deflection device for altering a flow of source material from an initial flow into an altered flow in an evaporation system. In addition, the present invention relates to an evaporation system, in particular a thermal laser evaporation system, for a deposition of source material onto a substrate, the source material provided by a source, the system comprising a reaction chamber with a chamber wall for arranging the source and the substrate.

In typical evaporation systems of the state of the art, source material is evaporated and/or sublimated within a reaction chamber and afterwards deposited onto a designated surface of a substrate. Thermal laser evaporation systems can provide one of the largest fields of applications, as a wide variety of materials with unmatched purity can be provided as source materials, in particular with respect to other techniques like electron beam heating or directly heated crucibles.

Fig. 1 depicts the core elements of such an evaporation system 30, in particular of a thermal laser evaporation system 30, according to the state of the art. An electromagnetic radiation 70 impinges onto a source 34, exemplarily shown constructed as a rod consisting of a source material 32. Due to that, source material 32 is evaporated (depicted as arrows originating from the source 34) and in the following deposited onto a substrate 36 and hence forms a coating on a surface of the substrate 36. If a vacuum is present in the reaction chamber as reaction atmosphere 40, the deposited material 42 on the surface of the substrate 36 consists of the source material 32, if the reaction atmosphere 40 comprises suitably chosen reaction gases, such as for instance oxygen, the deposited material 42 can also comprise and/or consist of reaction products of the evaporated source material 32 and elements of the reaction atmosphere 40.

However, Fig. 1 also reveals a drawback of such evaporation systems 30. As the source material 32 is often melted during the evaporation process, the upper end of the source 34 has to be kept at least essentially horizontal. Otherwise the melted and hence fluid source material 32 would flow out of the melt pool and drop down. Further, the spatial distribution of the evaporated source material 32 is maximum along a normal to the surface of the source 34 and decreases with deviations to said normal following a cosine distribution.

Consequently, with evaporation systems according to the state of the art only substrates arranged along said normal to the surface of the source can be efficiently coated. In addition, the surface of the substrate to be coated has to be oriented upside-down. A coating of substrates which cannot fulfill these boundary conditions, such as or instance the interior of a hollow body or bulk material in drum coaters, or as another example a simultaneous coating of both sides of a belt, cannot be provided by evaporation systems according to the state of the art.

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of operating an evaporation system, an improved deflection device for altering a flow of source material and an improved evaporation system which do not have the aforementioned drawbacks of the state of the art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of operating an evaporation system, an improved deflection device and an improved evaporation system, which allow an efficient coating of a substrate without or at least with less restrictions on position and/or orientation of the surface of the substrate to be coated with respect to the source, in particular an efficient coating of a substrate surface positioned away from a normal of the surface of the source and/or with an orientation different to upside-down.

This object is satisfied by the respective independent patent claims. In particular, this object is satisfied by a method of operating an evaporation system according to independent claim 1 , by a deflection device according to independent claim 25, and by an evaporation system according to independent claim 28. The dependent claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention. Details and advantages described with respect to a method according to the first aspect of the invention also refer to a deflection device according to the second aspect of the invention and to an evaporation system according to the third aspect of the present invention, and vice versa, if of technical sense.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the object is satisfied by a method of operating an evaporation system, in particular a thermal laser evaporation system, for a deposition of source material onto a substrate, the system comprising a reaction chamber with a chamber wall for arranging the source and the substrate, wherein a flow of source material is changed from an initial flow into an altered flow, the method comprising the following steps: a) providing a deflection device comprising a deflection body with a deflection surface for deflecting the initial flow, b) arranging the deflection device within the reaction chamber in a path of the initial flow of the source material, c) heating the deflection device, d) providing the initial flow of the source material, e) impinging source material of the initial flow onto the deflection surface heated in step d), and f) emitting the source material impinged onto the deflection surface in step e) as source material of the altered flow from the deflection surface, whereby steps d) to f) are simultaneously carried out during the execution of step c).

The method according to the first aspect of the present invention is intended for an operation of an evaporation system, preferably of a thermal laser evaporation system. Said system comprises at least a reaction chamber in which a source and a substrate are arranged. During operation, source material of the source is evaporated and/or sublimated and in the following deposited onto a surface of the substrate.

Preferably, the source material is evaporated and/or sublimated by electromagnetic radiation. For this, a chamber wall of the reaction chamber preferably comprises a coupling means for coupling the electromagnetic radiation into the reaction chamber. The evaporated and/or sublimated source material forms a flow of source material within the reaction chamber.

The chamber wall of the reaction chamber encloses a reaction volume. Preferably, the reaction volume is sealable against ambient atmosphere and fillable with a reaction atmosphere. The reaction atmosphere can be a vacuum between 10’⁴ and 10’¹² hPa, for pure ideal conditions 10’⁸ hPa to 10’¹² hPa, or can comprise or consist of one or more reaction gases such as for instance molecular oxygen, ozone, molecular hydrogen or molecular nitrogen, with a pressure of 10’⁸ hPa to ambient pressure, respectively up to 1 hPa. In the latter case, the reaction gases can preferably be chosen according to the composition of the coating. The oxygen variants O2 and Oa are can preferably be provided in a ratio of approximately 9:1 as produced by an inline glow discharge ozone generator. Further, the reaction gas can at least partly be ionized, in particular ionized by plasma ionization.

In a first step a) of the method according to the present invention, a deflection device is provided. Said deflection device is the core element used in the method according to the present invention, as it provides the possibility to change an initial flow of source material into an altered flow of source material. For this, the deflection device comprises a deflection body, whereby a deflection surface limits and terminates a side of the deflection body and is used in the following for the deflection of the flow of source material.

As mentioned above, the deflection device provided in step a) of the method according to the present invention is intended for the change of the flow of source material. To make this possible, the following step b) comprises arranging the deflection device within the reaction chamber of the evaporation system. In particular, the deflection device is arranged in the reaction chamber such that it is located in the path of the initial flow of source material. Preferably, in step b) of the method according to the present invention the deflection device is arranged in the reaction chamber such that the initial flow impinges onto a center of the deflection surface.

Aforementioned said path of the initial flow of source material may be an anticipated path, e.g. chosen before the actual evaporation and/or sublimation of the source material starts, or an actual path of the initial flow of source material, the latter present during the evaporation and/or sublimation of the source material.

As an important step of the method according to the present invention, in the next step c) the deflection device is heated. As mentioned above, in the evaporation system evaporated and/or sublimated source material is intended for coating a surface of a substrate by depositing source material onto said substrate surface. However, the evaporated and/or sublimated source material will be deposited onto any surface in the path of the flow of source material.

As the deflection device was arranged in the path of the initial flow of source material in step b) of the method according to the present invention, the initial flow impinges onto the deflection surface. By heating the deflection device, and hence the deflection surface, it can be prohibited or at least essentially suppressed that the source material impinging onto the deflection surface permanently coats the deflection surface. The thermal energy of the deflection body, also present at the deflection surface, is transferred to the impinging source material. Consequently, the source material cannot bind to the deflection surface but is reemitted into the reaction chamber.

The following steps d) to f) of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention provide the actual change of the flow of source material. These steps d) to f) are carried out simultaneously. Based on the above description of step c) of the method according to the present invention it is essential for the present invention that the heating of the deflection device is present during steps d) to f) for preventing an actual permanent deposition of the source material onto the deflection surface. Hence, in the method according to the first aspect of the present invention steps d) to f) are simultaneously carried out during the execution of step c).

In step d), the initial flow of source material is provided. Said initial flow can be characterized by an initial spatial distribution and an initial median flow direction.

Preferably, the deflection device is arranged in step b) of the method according to the present invention in the reaction chamber such that the initial flow impinges in the following step e) onto a center of the deflection surface with its highest density of the initial spatial distribution and/or along its initial flow direction. As emphasized above, during the whole process of steps d) to f) the deflection device is heated. Hence, in the last step f) of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the source material deposited in step e) cannot permanently bind to the deflection surface but is again emitted from the deflection surface back into the reaction chamber.

As the deflection device, and hence the deflection surface, is arranged in the path of the initial flow of source material, at least the orientation and the position within the reaction chamber of the deflection surface is different to the position and orientation, respectively, of the surface of the origin from which the source material is provided with its initial flow. Preferably, also a spatial shape of the deflection surface differs from the spatial shape of said origin.

Further, a spatial distribution and a median direction of a flow of source material emitted from a surface strongly depends on the position, orientation, and spatial shape of said surface. Based on this and on the findings described in the previous paragraph, the flow of source material emitted from the deflection surface is automatically provided with an altered flow different to the initial flow.

In summary, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention provides an operation of an evaporation system, in which an actual flow of evaporated and/or sublimated source material is not limited to an initial flow but can be altered during the operation of the evaporation system. Hence restrictions with respect to a position and/or orientation of a surface of a substrate to be coated are at least reduced, preferably completely canceled. In particular, depending on the altered flow of source material provided after the deflection device also an efficient coating of a substrate surface positioned away from a normal of the surface of the source and/or with an orientation different to upside-down can be rendered possible. Further, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be characterized in that the altered flow is different to the initial flow by that the altered flow comprises an altered spatial distribution different to an initial spatial distribution of the initial flow, and/or the altered flow comprises an altered median flow direction different to an initial median flow direction of the initial flow. Preferably, the altered flow of source material differs in both spatial distribution and median flow direction, respectively, from said variables of the initial flow of source material. A wide variety of possible altered flows, both in spatial distributions and median flow direction, respectively, can thereby be provided.

Preferably, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can comprise that in step a) the material of the deflection surface and/or the spatial shape of the deflection surface, and/or in step b) the position and/or orientation of the deflection device and hence of the deflection surface within the reaction chamber, are chosen with respect to the desired altered flow. All listed variables have influence on the altered flow of source material emitted in step f) of the method according to the present invention. Hence, by accordingly choosing values for these variables with respect to the altered flow of source material to be provided, the intended altered flow of source material actually can be provided. In addition, by exchanging one version of the deflection device with another, different version of the deflection device, the provided altered flow of source material is also accordingly changed.

In addition, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be enhanced by that the material of the deflection surface chosen in step a) consists of or at least comprises a metal with a melting point higher than 2000 K, especially a metal with a melting point higher than 2750 K, preferably a refractory metal, in particular one of the following metals:

- Tungsten,

- Tantalum, - Rhenium,

- Niobium,

- Molybdenum,

- Platinum,

- Iridium

- Zirconium.

This list is not closed and also other suitable metals can be used as material of the deflection surface.

In particular, the deflection surface, preferably the deflection body as a whole, is heated during the execution of the method according to the present invention. Hence, using a metal with a melting point higher than 2000 K, preferably higher than 2750 K, said heating can be provided without risking a change of the spatial shape of the deflection surface, which is crucial for providing a temporally unchanged altered flow of source material.

Refractory metals comprise such high melting points, starting from -2750 K (Niobium) up to -3700 K (Tungsten), and hence are particularly well suited as materials for the deflection surface. However, these refractory metals also exhibit high reactivity, especially with respect to oxygen. For reaction atmospheres different to vacuum, in particular for reaction atmospheres comprising oxygen, metals which provide a compromise between a high melting point and a low reactivity are more suitable as material for the deflection surface. Examples for such metals are Platinum (melting point: -2040 K), Iridium (melting point: -2720 K) and Zirconium (melting point: -2130 K).

According to an enhanced embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, in step a) the deflection surface is chosen with an at least partially planar spatial shape. As described with respect to the surface of the source, a planar spatial shape in most of the cases results in a spatial distribution of the emitted flow of source material with a median flow direction parallel to the normal of the emitting surface, whereby the spatial distribution decreases with deviations to said normal following a cosine law. At least for the part of the deflection surface with the planar spatial shape, the resulting altered flow follows said distribution and is hence easily predictable.

Additionally, or alternatively, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be enhanced by that in step a) the deflection surface is chosen with an at least partially curved spatial shape for providing a focused altered flow and/or a defocused altered flow. A curved shape can be approached as a plurality of infinitesimally small individual planar spatial elements. Each of these planar spatial element acts as described in the previous paragraph. In total this results in a focusing and/or defocusing behavior of said part of the deflection surface. A specific enhancement and/or decrease of the altered flow of source material at specific positions within the reaction chamber can thereby be provided. For instance, a cone shaped deflection surface arranged such that the respective cone axis is parallel to the median flow direction of the initial flow of source material, changes the altered flow such that in total the altered flow covers a cylindrical area around the initial median flow direction. For instance, this can be used for coating the interior of a hollow body.

Further, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can comprises that for changing the altered flow of the source material provided in step f), the position and/or orientation of the deflection surface is altered by moving and/or rotating the deflection device during the execution of steps d) to f). In other words, the deflection device preferably comprises arrangement means with an actuator actually capable of moving and/or rotating the deflection device or at least the deflection surface. Moving and/or rotating primarily changes the position and/or orientation of the deflection surface within the reaction chamber. For instance, a flat deflection surface arranged in a tilted way with respect to the median flow direction of the initial flow of source material, which is rotated around said initial median flow direction, changes the altered flow such that in total the altered flow again covers a cylindrical area around the initial median flow direction. Hence, this can be used as an alternative solution for coating the interior of a hollow body.

According to an alternative or additional embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, in step a) the deflection device is provided with the deflection body made from an elastic material, in particular a sheet metal, and that the spatial shape of the deflection surface is accordingly chosen for emitting the source material of the altered flow in step f). As described above, the spatial shape of the deflection surface defines the orientation and spatial distribution of the altered flow of source material emitted from the deflection surface. Providing the deflection body made from an elastic material allows to actively change said spatial shape of the deflection surface. Hence, a wide variety of different altered flows can be provided by the same deflection device. Sheet metal as elastic material comprises the advantage that it can be heated to high temperatures without melting, in particular compared to for instance plastics.

In addition, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be enhanced by that the spatial shape of the deflection surface is actively adjusted for changing the altered flow. In other words, the deflection device preferably comprises an actuator for actively changing the spatial shape of the deflection surface by deforming the deflection body made from the elastic material. By that, the provided altered flow of source material emitted from the deflection surface can actively be altered during the execution of the method according to the present invention. For instance, the altered flow can be subsequently directed and/or focused towards different substrates and/or different areas on a single substrate. This change of the altered flows can be provided without interrupting the execution of the method according to the present invention, in particular without opening the reaction chamber. According to another embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the impingement of source material in step e) comprises a deposition of the source material onto the deflection surface and the emitting of source material in step f) comprises a sublimation and/or evaporation of the source material deposited onto the deflection surface in step e). In other words, a short deposition of source material to the deflection surface and a successive reemission of source material from the deflection surface is still in the scope of the present method according to the present invention, as long as a permanent deposition of source material onto the deflection surface is prohibited. In particular, the time between the deposition and the reemission is limited and defined by the heating of the deflection device in step c) of the method according to the present invention. Preferably, an equilibrium will be established between the amount of source material impinging onto the deflection surface in step e) and the amount of source material emitted from the deflection surface in step f) of the method according to the present invention, respectively.

The method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be enhanced further by that the source material deposited in step e) forms a film on the deflection surface with a thickness of one or more atomic layers, in particular 1 to 15 atomic layers. In particular, as the formed film covers a certain area on the deflection surface, said whole area can be used for emission of the altered flow of source material in step f) of the method according to the present invention. A more extended altered flow of source material can thereby be provided. In addition, also a purity of the altered flow of source material can be enhanced, as defects and/or impurities present in the initial flow of source material can be buried and/or equalized by the forming of the film on the deflection surface.

In an alternative or additional embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the impingement of source material in step e) and the emitting of source material in step f) comprises quantum mechanical scattering of atoms and/or molecules of the source material on atoms and/or molecules of the deflection surface. This embodiment concerns in particular, but not limited to that, combinations of materials for the source material and the material used for the deflection device with large extensions of the respective wave functions such as for instance found for lanthanides or heavy alkali metals or alkaline earth metals. In particular, such quantum mechanical scattering can also include interference effects which can be exploited during operation of the evaporation system, using a single crystal, or in general, periodic structure of the deflection material. For instance, arranging the substrate to be coated at an interference maximum would place the substrate at a position with enhanced altered flow of source material.

Further, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be characterized in that for the heating of the deflection device in step c) an electromagnetic radiation, in particular laser light, is used. Similar to the usage of electromagnetic radiation, in particular laser light, for evaporation and/or sublimation of the source material, the electromagnetic radiation can be coupled into the reaction chamber by suitable means in the chamber wall of the reaction chamber. Hence, also the usage for the heating of the deflection device provides the advantage that no additional devices for the heating of the defection device have to be present in the reaction chamber. Impurities and other defects of the coating deposited onto the substrate caused by pollution within the reaction chamber can thereby be avoided or at least significantly reduced.

Additionally, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be enhanced further by that the electromagnetic radiation used for the heating of the deflection device in step c) impinges onto the deflection surface of the deflection device. In other words, the deflection surface is heated directly and hence forms the part of the deflection device with the highest temperature. A risk of a permanent deposition of source material onto the deflection surface can thereby be reduced further, preferably completely avoided.

According to an additional or alternative embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the electromagnetic radiation used for the heating of the deflection device in step c) impinges onto a back surface of the deflection device opposite to the deflection surface. In this embodiment, the deflection surface is heated indirectly via the heating of the deflection body of the deflection device. As the available angular space in front of the deflection surface is limited, for instance by the origin of the initial flow of source material, in this embodiment it is exploited that the backside of the deflection device often is uncovered and not shielded with respect to the chamber wall of the reaction chamber. Hence, a heating of the back surface of the deflection device can easily be provided by arranging the respective coupling means for the electromagnetic radiation at suitable positions of the chamber wall of the reaction chamber. In addition, such an arrangement has the advantage that, as no source material is emitted from the back side of the deflection device, a coating of the coupling means of the electromagnetic radiation by source material is reduced or avoided.

The aforementioned heating procedures of the deflection surface, direct and indirect, can be used as alternatives or additionally to each other.

In another embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the source material of the initial flow provided in step d) originates from the source. In other words, the deflection device is arranged such that it is in the path of the source material evaporated and/or sublimated directly from the source, for instance along a normal of the source. After the deflection device, the source material comprises an altered flow, in particular with a median flow direction and/or a spatial flow distribution, which cannot be provided directly by simply evaporating and/or sublimating of source material from the source. According to an alternative embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the source material of the initial flow provided in step d) originates from another deflection device. In other words, in this embodiment of the method according to the present invention, two or more distinct deflection devices are present in the reaction chamber, each of them preferably used in a separate entity of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention. By using two or more deflection devices, whereby at least one of them is hit by an initial flow of source material originating from one of the other deflection devices, an even wider variety of possible altered flows of source material can be provided.

Further, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be characterized in that the heating of the deflection device in step c) is continuous, or the heating of the deflection device in step c) is time modulated, preferably periodically time modulated. Hence, also the temperature of the deflection device and thereby also of the deflection surface can be constant or comprise a time dependence. As the temperature of the deflection surface is important for the emission of the source material from the deflection surface in step f) of the method according to the present invention, the constant or time dependent value of said temperature pushes through and hence also the altered flow provided in step f) of the method according to the present invention comprises a similar time dependency, either constant or time modulated.

Further, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can also comprise that the provision of the source material of the initial flow in step d) is continuous, or the provision of the source material of the initial flow in step d) is time modulated, preferably periodically time modulated. Hence, also the initial flow provided in step d) can be either constant over time or comprise a certain, preferably periodical, temporal structure. This can be due to the fact that for instance the initial flow originates from another deflection device. In addition, the arguments presented in the previous paragraph with respect to the heating of the deflection device and the temporal structure of the provided altered flow are also valid for the initial evaporation and/or sublimation from the source with respect to the electromagnetic radiation used for said evaporation and/or sublimation.

Preferably, a combination of the embodiments of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention described in the two previous paragraphs allows a change or even conversion of a time dependence of a flow of source material. In particular, a constant initial flow of source material can be changed into an altered flow of source material comprising a, preferably periodic, time dependency, and vice versa. In particular the aforementioned formation of a thin film of source material formed on the deflection surface can be used for providing this feature.

Further, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be characterized in that in step a) the deflection body is provided with one or more straight through holes and/or gaps starting at the deflection surface and ending at a back surface of the deflection device opposite to the deflection surface such that in step e) source material of the initial flow flows through the one or more through holes or gaps and forms an additional flow of source material, whereby in particular the additional flow of source material comprises the initial median flow direction. Preferably, in step b) the one or more through holes or gaps are arranged along the initial median flow direction.

In other words, in this embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the initial flow of source material is not only deflected into an altered flow of source material, but divided into two flows of source material, one of them as altered flow of source material emitted from the deflection surface, and the other one as additional flow of source material transmitted through the deflection body. A further extension of the possible applications of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can thus be made possible. In addition, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can be enhanced by that the additional flow of source material is used as newly formed initial flow of source material, whereby preferably the one or more straight through holes and/or gaps cover between 15% and 85%, preferably between 40% and 60%, of the area of the deflection surface used in step e) for impinging source material of the initial flow. According to this embodiment, the additional flow of source material is used also as initial flow of source material, and hence in particular also for a coating of a substrate surface. To ensure that also this second initial flow of source material is sufficient for an effective coating process, a coverage of the holes and/or gaps between 15% and 85%, preferably between 40% and 60%, of the area of the deflection surface used in step e) for impinging source material of the initial flow was found effective.

Alternatively, or additionally, the method according to the first aspect of the present invention can comprise that the additional flow of source material is used for diagnostics and/or monitoring of the initial flow of source material, whereby preferably the one or more straight through holes and/or gaps cover between 20% and 0.1%, preferably between 10% and 2%, of the area of the deflection surface used in step e) for impinging source material of the initial flow. The additional flow of source material comprises properties, which are linked to the properties of the initial flow of source material in a deterministic way. Hence by analyzing the additional flow of source material, diagnostics and/or monitoring for the initial flow of source material can easily be provided. To ensure that the provision of this additional flow of source material has no severe impact for an effective coating process using the altered flow provided in step f) of the method according to the present invention, a coverage of the holes and/or gaps between 20% and 0.1%, preferably between 10% and 2%, of the area of the deflection surface used in step e) for impinging source material of the initial flow was found effective. According to another embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the deflection surface is reflective for electromagnetic radiation, in particular for electromagnetic radiation used to evaporate and/or sublimate the source material from the source and/or for additional electromagnetic radiation used for diagnostics and/or monitoring the operation of the evaporation system. By using the deflection surface for both purposes, for deflecting the initial flow of source material and for deflecting an electromagnetic radiation, respectively, additional elements and devices for the deflection of the electromagnetic radiation within the reaction chamber can be avoided. An overall complexity of the evaporation system can thereby be reduced.

In an enhancement of the aforementioned embodiment of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, impinging electromagnetic radiation nevertheless absorbed by the reflective deflection surface is used for the heating of the deflection device in step c). The deflection surface preferably is optimized for the deflection of the flow of source material. However, the formation of a film of source material on the deflection surface in most of the cases even diminishes the reflectivity of the deflection surface with respect to the electromagnetic radiation, as for instance most source materials used in thermal laser evaporation systems absorb electromagnetic radiation. Hence, a part, normally even a part not to be neglected, of the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the deflection surface will be absorbed by the deflection device. By using this absorbed electromagnetic radiation for heating the deflection device, the respective energy, which otherwise would be lost, can be used.

According to a second aspect of the invention the object is satisfied by a deflection device for altering a flow of source material from an initial flow into an altered flow in an evaporation system. The deflection device according to the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the deflection device comprises a heatable deflection body with a deflection surface for deflecting the initial flow, the deflection device further comprising an arrangement means for arranging the deflection device in a path of the initial flow of the source material, whereby the deflection surface faces the initial flow.

The deflection device according to the second aspect of the present invention can be used in an evaporation system, in particular in a thermal laser evaporation system. By the arrangement means, the deflection device can be arranged in the initial flow of source material. In other words, the initial flow of source material is blocked by the deflection device and the source material impinges onto the deflection surface of the deflection device.

In particular by heating the heatable deflection body, a permanent deposition of the impinging source material onto the deflection surface can be prohibited. The impinging source material may form a thin film of a few atomic layers on the deflection surface, but is in general reemitted. As a flow distribution of such emissions strongly depends on a spatial shape, position, and orientation of the deflection surface, an altered flow of source material different to the initial flow of source material can be provided by the deflection device according to the second aspect of the present invention.

In other words, the initial flow of source material comprises an initial flow distribution with an initial median flow direction and an initial spatial distribution, whereas the altered flow comprises an altered flow distribution with an altered median flow direction different to the initial median flow direction and/or an altered spatial distribution different to the initial spatial distribution.

As mentioned above, a flow distribution of source material strongly depends on a spatial shape, position, and orientation of the respective emitting surface, and such of the deflection surface of the deflection device. Hence, the deflection surface preferably is adaptively chosen with respect to the desired altered flow and/or a position, and/or an orientation of the deflection surface is adaptively chosen with respect to the desired altered flow. In particular, if made of a sufficiently elastic and sufficiently thin material, the deflection device, and with it its deflection surface, may be adaptively elastically deformed with respect to the desired altered flow, e.g. to compensate for a depletion in source material of the source.

Preferably, the deflection device according to the second aspect of the present invention can comprise that the deflection device is usable for carrying out a method according to the first aspect of the present invention. Hence the deflection device according to the second aspect of the present invention can provide all advantages described above with respect to the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

According to another embodiment of the deflection device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the deflection device comprises two or more separate and distinct deflection surfaces, whereby each of the two or more deflection surfaces is enabled to deflect an impinging initial flow of source material into a respective altered flow of source material, in particular whereby each of the deflection surfaces is intended for a usage in a separate instance of the method according to the first aspect of the present invention. In this embodiment, a single deflection device can be used for providing two or more separate and distinct altered flows of source material. In particular, the present embodiment of the deflection device according to the present invention can be used for dividing a single initial flow into two or more altered flows of source elements.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the object is satisfied by an evaporation system, in particular a thermal laser evaporation system, for a deposition of source material onto a substrate, the source material provided by a source, the system comprising a reaction chamber with a chamber wall for arranging the source and the substrate. The evaporation system according to the third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the evaporation system comprises a deflection device according to the second aspect of the present invention and/or the evaporation system is usable for carrying out a method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

By comprising a deflection device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the evaporation system according to the third aspect of the present invention provides all advantages described above with respect to the deflection device according to the second aspect of the present invention. As additionally, or alternatively, the evaporation system according to the third aspect of the present invention can be used for carrying out the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the evaporation system according to the third aspect of the present invention can provide all advantages described above with respect to the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

Further, the evaporation system according to the third aspect of the present invention can comprise that the evaporation system comprises two or more distinct and spatially separated sources, each of the sources providing a, preferably different, source material, and further two or more deflection devices respectively allocated to one of the initial flows of source material originating from the two or more sources, whereby the respective altered flows of source material provided by the two or more deflection devices are directed onto the same substrate. In other words, the two or more deflection devices allow to coat a substrate surface with source material originating from different sources. If the different sources provide the same source material, a coating velocity or deposition uniformity can thereby be improved. If the different sources provide at least two different source materials, a combination of these different source materials, for instance an alloy or a compound of the at least two different source materials, can be provided for the coating of the surface of the substrate. In addition, the evaporation system according to the third aspect of the present invention can be characterized in that the reaction chamber is tillable with a reaction atmosphere, and/or the source material is evaporated and/or sublimated by electromagnetic radiation, whereby the chamber wall comprises a coupling means for coupling the electromagnetic radiation into the reaction chamber.

Preferably, the evaporation system according to the present invention can also comprise means for providing said reaction atmosphere. By said means for providing the reaction atmosphere, the reaction chamber can be filled with a reaction atmosphere. The reaction atmosphere can be a vacuum between 10’⁴ and 10’¹² hPa, for pure ideal conditions 10’⁸ hPa to 10’¹² hPa, or can comprise or consist of one or more reaction gases such as for instance molecular oxygen, ozone, molecular hydrogen or molecular nitrogen, with a pressure of 10’⁸ hPa to ambient pressure, respectively up to 1 hPa. In the latter case, the reaction gases can preferably be chosen according to the composition of the coating. The oxygen variants O2 and Oa are can preferably be provided in a ratio of approximately 9:1 as produced by an inline glow discharge ozone generator. Further, the reaction gas can at least partly be ionized, in particular ionized by plasma ionization.

During operation, source material of the source is evaporated and/or sublimated by electromagnetic radiation and in the following deposited onto a surface of the substrate. For this, a chamber wall of the reaction chamber comprises a coupling means for coupling the electromagnetic radiation into the reaction chamber. In particular, thermal laser evaporation systems, which use electromagnetic radiation provided as laser light for the evaporation and/or sublimation of the source material, can provide one of the largest fields of applications, as a wide and unmatched, in particular with respect to other techniques like electron beam heating or direct heated crucibles, variety of materials can be provided as source materials. The invention will be explained in detail in the following by means of embodiments and with reference to the drawings in which are shown:

Fig. 1 A schematic side view of an evaporation system according to the state of the art,

Fig. 2 A schematic side view of a first embodiment of an evaporation system according to the present invention,

Fig. 3 Three schematic side views of an actual use of the deflection device of the evaporation system of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 A schematic side view of a second embodiment of an evaporation system according to the present invention,

Fig. 5 A schematic side view of a third embodiment of a deflection device according to the present invention,

Fig. 6 A schematic side view of a fourth embodiment of deflection device according to the present invention,

Fig. 7 Two respective schematic side views of a fifth and a sixth embodiment of a deflection device according to the present invention, and

Fig. 8 A schematic side view of a seventh embodiment of an evaporation system according to the present invention.

With respect to the Figs. 2 to 8, all depicted deflection devices 10 according to the second aspect of the present invention can be used with all depicted evaporation systems 30 according to the third aspect of the present invention, and vice versa. Further, both said deflection devices 10 and said evaporation systems 30, respectively, can be used for carrying out a method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 2 depicts the basic principle of a usage of a deflection device 10 according to the present invention in an evaporation system 30 according to the present invention in an exemplary and simplified embodiment. The evaporation system 30 comprises a reaction chamber filled with a reaction atmosphere 40. The reaction atmosphere 40 can be a vacuum up to 10’¹² hPa or lower, or a reaction gas such as for instance oxygen. The deflection device 10 comprises a deflection body 12 carrying a deflection surface 18. Preferably, the deflection body comprises a metal with a high melting point. Examples for such metals are for instance refractory metals such as Niobium or Tungsten. For reaction atmospheres 40 comprising oxygen or other reaction gases, metals with both, a high melting point and a low reactivity, respectively, are used such as for instance Platinum, Iridium or Zirconium.

The deflection device 10 according to the present invention is arranged within a reaction chamber of the evaporation system 30, which preferably can be provided as thermal laser evaporation system 30. For that, the deflection device 10 comprises arrangement means 22. Said arrangement means 22 can provide a stationary positioning of the deflection device 10 within the reaction chamber. However, the arrangement means 22 can also comprise one or more actuators for providing the possibility of a lateral and/or rotational movement of the deflection device 10.

The deflection device 10 according to the present invention is preferably used for execution of a method according to the present invention, namely for changing an initial flow 50 of source material 32 into an altered flow 60 of source material 32. In the following, said method according to the present invention will be described with respect to the embodiment of the deflection device 10 according to the present invention depicted in Fig. 2. In the first steps a), b) of the method, the deflection device 10 is provided (step a)) and arranged (step b)) within the reaction chamber of the evaporation system 30. Preferably, in step a) the material of the deflection surface 18 of the deflection device 10 and/or the spatial shape of the deflection surface 18, and/or in step b) the position and/or orientation of the deflection device 10 and hence of the deflection surface 18 within the reaction chamber are chosen with respect to the desired altered flow 60. As depicted in Fig. 2, the spatial shape of the deflection surface 18 can be at least partly planar.

An essential part of the method according to the present invention is provided in step c) of the method, namely heating the deflection device 10. Preferably, said heating is provided by an electromagnetic radiation 70 impinging on the deflection body 12, as depicted for instance directly onto the deflection surface 18. Alternatively, or additionally, also a heating of the deflection body via its back surface 24 is possible, although not shown (see Fig. 3 to 8). Said heating ensures that material present within the reaction chamber, in particular the source material 32 of the initial flow 50 of source material 32 impinging onto the deflection surface 18, is not permanently deposited on the deflection device 10.

The steps d) to f) of the method according to the present invention described in the following are carried out simultaneously. In particular, said steps d) to f) are carried out during the execution of aforementioned step c).

In step d), an initial flow 50 of source material 32 is provided. For instance, this initial flow 50 can originate directly from a source 34 of the evaporation system 30 (see Fig. 1 ), in particular in a thermal laser evaporation system 30 evaporated and/or sublimated from the source by a laser. Alternatively, the initial flow 50 of source material 32 can also originate from another deflection device 10. In other words, two or more deflection devices 10 can be arranged in the reaction chamber of the evaporation system 30 and successively used for several entities of the method according to the present invention.

In the next step e), said provided initial flow 50 of source material 32 impinges onto the deflection surface 18. As depicted, the deposited source material 32 can form a film 20 on the deflection surface 18 with a thickness of one or more atomic layers, in particular 1 to 15 atomic layers.

However, due to the heating of the deflection device 10 provided in step c) of the method according to the present invention, said deposition of the source material 32 onto the deflection surface 18 is not permanent, and in the following step f) of the method according to the present invention, the source material 32 is again evaporated and/or sublimated from the deflection surface 18.

Additionally, or alternatively, also a quantum mechanical scattering of atoms and/or molecules of the source material 32 on atoms and/or molecules of the deflection surface 18 is possible during the execution of steps e), f) of the method according to the present invention. In particular, such quantum mechanical scattering can also include interference effects which can be exploited during operation of the evaporation system 30, using a single crystal, or in general, periodic structure of the material of the deflection body 12 or at least of the deflection surface 18.

As a spatial distribution and a median direction of a flow of source material emitted from a surface strongly depends on the position, orientation, and spatial shape of said surface, the flow of source material 32 emitted from the deflection surface 18 is automatically provided with an altered flow 60 different to the initial flow 50. Not explicitly depicted in Fig. 2 but nevertheless possible in the scope of the present invention, the deflection surface 18 can also be reflective for electromagnetic radiation 70, in particular for electromagnetic radiation 70 used to evaporate and/or sublimate the source material 32 from the source and/or for additional electromagnetic radiation 70 used for diagnostics and/or monitoring the operation of the evaporation system 30. By using the deflection surface 18 for deflecting the initial flow of source material and simultaneously for deflecting an electromagnetic radiation 70, an overall complexity of the evaporation system 30 according to the present invention can be reduced.

As mentioned above, by accordingly choosing the material and/or spatial shape and/or position and/or orientation of the deflection surface 18, the spatial distribution of the altered flow 60 of source material 32 can be set according to the requirements of the respective operation of the evaporation system 30. In particular, in contrast to the boundary conditions depicted in Fig. 1 present in many evaporation systems 30 according to the state of the art, also arrangements of the substrate 36 away from a normal of the source 34, and orientations of the substrate 36 different to upside-down and facing the source 34, respectively, are possible, as the provided altered flow 60 of source material 32 can be arbitrarily chosen, if necessary by using two or more deflection devices 10 (see Fig. 3).

In Fig. 3, three schematic side views of an actual use of the deflection device 10 of the evaporation system 30 of Fig. 2 are shown. The different embodiments are denoted with “A”, “B” and “C”.

In all three embodiments, a deflection device 10 heated by electromagnetic radiation 70 via its back surface 24 is used in an evaporation system 30, in particular in a reaction chamber filled with a reaction atmosphere 40. The respectively provided altered flow 60 of source material 32 impinges onto a substrate 36 and forms on the surface of the respective substrate 36 a film consisting of deposited material 42.

The three embodiments differ by the relative orientation between the respective impinging initial flow 50 of source material 32 and the respective deflection surface 18 of the deflection devices 10. As clearly visible even if only schematically shown, said relative orientation between the impinging source material 32 and the deflection device 10, namely defined by a median angle between the median flow direction of the initial flow 50 and the deflection surface 18, has a strong influence, not to say defines, the providable flow distribution of the altered flow 60 of source material 60. As depicted, with increasing rotation angle of the deflection device 10, the median flow direction of the respectively provided altered flow 60 of source material 32 differs more and more from the median flow direction of the initial flow 50 of source material 32.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the deflection device 10 and of the evaporation system 30, respectively, according to the present invention, in which the arrangement means 22 of the deflection device 10 is able to move and rotate the deflection body 12 and hence of the deflection surface 18. As depicted, this allows in particular a coating of substrates 36 provided as the interior surface of hollow bodies, wherein by accordingly moving and/or rotating the deflection surface 18, the initial flow 50 of source material 32 is deflected such into respective altered flows 60 of source material 32, that a coating of said interior surface of the respective hollow body with deposited material 42 is possible. Again, the reaction chamber of the evaporation system 30 is filled with a suitable reaction atmosphere 40.

According to another embodiment of the deflection device 10 according to the present invention, schematically depicted in Fig. 5, the deflection body 12 can comprise one or more straight through holes 14 and/or gaps 16 starting at the deflection surface 18 and ending at a back surface 24 of the deflection device 10. This allows parts of the initial flow 50 of source material 32 to flow through the deflection device 10 and to form an additional flow 62 of source material 32 originating from the back surface 24 of the deflection device 10. Preferably, the initial flow 50 of source material 32 and the additional flow 62 of source material 32 share the same median flow direction.

The additional flow 62 of source material 32 can for instance be used for diagnosing and/or monitoring the initial flow 50 of source material 32. Also, the additional flow 62 of source material 32 can be used for providing a new initial flow 50 of source material 32. In the latter case, a coverage between 15% and 85%, preferably between 40% and 60%, of the area of the deflection surface 18 impinged by the initial flow 50 of source material 32 is preferred.

As exemplarily depicted in Fig. 5, also this embodiment can be used in an evaporation system 30, in particular in a reaction chamber of the evaporation system 30 filled with a reaction atmosphere 40. Also, a heating of the deflection body 12 via electromagnetic radiation 70 impinging onto the back surface 24 and/or the front surface 18 (not shown) of the deflection device 10 is possible.

In Fig. 6, another possible embodiment of the deflection device 10 according to the present invention is shown, which is able to provide two altered flows 60 of source material 32 created from a single initial flow 50 of source material 32. Also, this deflection device 10 can be used in a reaction atmosphere 40 filled reaction chamber of an evaporation system 30 and be heated by electromagnetic radiation 70 via its back surface 24 and/or the front surface 18 (not shown).

In contrast to the embodiment depicted in Fig. 5, the present deflection device 10 shown in Fig. 6, in particular its deflection body 12, comprises two distinct deflection surfaces 18. As both deflection surfaces 18 differ at least by their respective orientation, the respective altered flow 60 provided by each of the deflection surfaces 18 will be different, even if, as also depicted in Fig. 6, only a single initial flow 50 of source material 32 is present. By accordingly adjusting the two deflection surfaces 18, a wide variety of spatial distributions can be provided for the altered flows 60 created by this embodiment of the deflection device 10 according to the present invention.

As described above, the flow distribution of the altered flow 60 of source material 32 strongly depends on a spatial shape of the deflection surface 18. This is exemplarily and schematically depicted in Fig. 7 for two examples denoted with “A” and “B”. The deflection devices 10 of both embodiments are positioned in a reaction chamber of an evaporation system 30 filled with a reaction atmosphere 40 and are heated by electromagnetic radiation 70 via their respective back surface 24 and/or the front surface 18 (not shown). An initial flow 50 of source material 32 impinges onto the deflection surface 18 of the respective deflection device 10 and is changed into an altered flow 60 of source material 32.

As a difference between the embodiments “A” and “B” depicted in Fig. 7, embodiment “A” comprises a convexly curved deflection surface 18, embodiment “B” a concavely curved deflection surface 18. As a result, the altered flow 60 of source material 32 provided by the embodiment “A” comprises a defocused spatial distribution, whereas the respective altered flow 60 provided by the embodiment “B” comprises a focused spatial distribution.

In addition, the deflection device 10 can also be provided with the deflection body 12 made from an elastic material, in particular a sheet metal. In other words, by actively forming the elastic material of the deflection body 12, the spatial shape of the deflection surface 18 can be accordingly chosen for emitting the source material 32 of the desired altered flow 60. As an example, by accordingly bending a sheet metal, both spatial shapes of the deflection surface 18 depicted as “A” and “B” in Fig. 7 can be obtained. In addition, also an active adjustment of the spatial shape of the deflection surface 18 is possible. In particular, by providing a suitable actuator as part of the deflection device 10, a change of the spatial shape of the deflection surface 18 and hence of the direction and/or spatial distribution of the altered flow 60 of source material 32 emitted from the deflection surface 18 can be provided during the coating process provided by the method according to the present invention.

Fig. 8 depicts another possible embodiment of an evaporation system 30 according to the present invention, in particular comprising two separate and distinct initial flows 50 of source material 32. For each of the two initial flows 50 of source material 50, a deflection device 10 is assigned and accordingly arranged within the reaction chamber of the evaporation system 30 filled with a reaction atmosphere 40. The respective deflection devices 10 are separately heated by electromagnetic radiation 70.

As depicted in Fig. 8, the deflection devices 10 are arranged and chosen such that the respective altered flows 60 of source material 32 are directed towards the same substrate 36. Hence, the deposited material 42, which forms the coating on the surface of the substrate 36, comprises or consists of a combination of the two source materials 32. If the different source materials 32 are the same, a coating velocity or a coating uniformity of the substrate 36 can thereby be increased. If the source materials 32 are different, a combination of these different source materials 32, for instance an alloy or a compound of the two different source materials 32, can be provided for the coating of the surface of the substrate 36. List of references

10 Deflection device

12 Deflection body

14 Through hole

16 Gap

18 Deflection surface

20 Film

22 Arrangement means

24 Back surface

30 Evaporation system

32 Source material

34 Source

36 Substrate

40 Reaction atmosphere

42 Deposited material

50 Initial flow

60 Altered flow

62 Additional flow

70 Electromagnetic radiation

Claims

33

Claims Method of operating an evaporation system (30), in particular a thermal laser evaporation system (30), for a deposition of source material (32) onto a substrate (36), the system (30) comprising a reaction chamber with a chamber wall for arranging the source (34) and the substrate (36), wherein a flow of source material (32) is changed from an initial flow (50) into an altered flow (60), the method comprising the following steps: a) providing a deflection device (10) comprising a deflection body

(12) with a deflection surface (18) for deflecting the initial flow (50), b) arranging the deflection device (10) within the reaction chamber in a path of the initial flow (50) of the source material (32), c) heating the deflection device (10), d) providing the initial flow (50) of the source material (32), e) impinging source material (32) of the initial flow (50) onto the deflection surface (18) heated in step d), and f) emitting the source material (32) impinged onto the deflection surface (18) in step e) as source material (32) of the altered flow (60) from the deflection surface (18), whereby steps d) to f) are simultaneously carried out during the execution of step c). Method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the altered flow (60) is different to the initial flow (50) by that the altered flow (60) comprises an altered spatial distribution different from an initial spatial distribution of the initial flow (50), and/or 34 the altered flow (60) comprises an altered median flow direction different from an initial median flow direction of the initial flow (50). Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in step a) the material of the deflection surface (18) and/or the spatial shape of the deflection surface (18), and/or in step b) the position and/or orientation of the deflection device (10) and hence of the deflection surface (18) within the reaction chamber, are chosen with respect to the desired altered flow (60). Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the material of the deflection surface (18) chosen in step a) consists of or at least comprises a metal with a melting point higher than 2000°C, especially a metal with a melting point higher than 2750°C, preferably a refractory metal, in particular one of the following metals:

- Tungsten,

- Tantalum,

- Rhenium,

- Niobium,

- Molybdenum,

- Platinum,

- Iridium,

- Zirconium. Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that in step a) the deflection surface (18) is chosen with an at least partially planar spatial shape. 6. Method according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 5, characterized in that in step a) the deflection surface (18) is chosen with an at least partially curved spatial shape for providing a focused altered flow (60) and/or a defocused altered flow (60).

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 6, characterized in that for changing the altered flow (60) of the source material (32) provided in step f), the position and/or orientation of the deflection surface (18) is altered by moving and/or rotating the deflection device (10) during the execution of steps d) to f).

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 6, characterized in that in step a) the deflection device (10) is provided with the deflection body (12) made from an elastic material, in particular a sheet metal, and that the spatial shape of the deflection surface (18) is accordingly chosen for emitting the source material (32) of the altered flow (60) in step f).

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the spatial shape of the deflection surface (18) is actively adjusted for changing the altered flow (60).

10. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the impingement of source material (32) in step e) comprises a deposition of the source material (32) onto the deflection surface (18) and the emitting of source material (32) in step f) comprises a sublimation and/or evaporation of the source material (32) deposited onto the deflection surface (18) in step e).

1 1 . Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the source material (32) deposited in step e) forms a film (20) on the deflection surface (18) with a thickness of one or more atomic layers, in particular 1 to 15 atomic layers.

12. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the impingement of source material (32) in step e) and the emitting of source material (32) in step f) comprises quantum mechanical scattering of atoms and/or molecules of the source material (32) on atoms and/or molecules of the deflection surface (18).

13. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for the heating of the deflection device (10) in step c) an electromagnetic radiation (70), in particular laser light, is used.

14. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the electromagnetic radiation (70) used for the heating of the deflection device (10) in step c) impinges onto the deflection surface (18) of the deflection device (10).

15. Method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that 37 the electromagnetic radiation (70) used for the heating of the deflection device (10) in step c) impinges onto a back surface (24) of the deflection device (10) opposite to the deflection surface (18).

16. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the source material (32) of the initial flow (50) provided in step d) originates from the source (34).

17. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the source material (32) of the initial flow (50) provided in step d) originates from another deflection device (10).

18. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating of the deflection device (10) in step c) is continuous, or the heating of the deflection device (10) in step c) is time modulated, preferably periodically time modulated.

19. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the provision of the source material (32) of the initial flow (50) in step d) is continuous, or the provision of the source material (32) of the initial flow (50) in step d) is time modulated, preferably periodically time modulated.

20. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in step a) the deflection body (12) is provided with one or more straight 38 through holes (14) and/or gaps (16) starting at the deflection surface (18) and ending at a back surface (24) of the deflection device (10) opposite to the deflection surface (18) such that in step e) source material (32) of the initial flow (50) flows through the one or more through holes (14) or gaps (16) and forms an additional flow (62) of source material (32), whereby in particular the additional flow (62) of source material (32) comprises the initial median flow direction. Method according to claim 20, characterized in that the additional flow (62) of source material (32) is used as newly formed initial flow (50) of source material (32), whereby preferably the one or more straight through holes (14) and/or gaps (16) cover between 15% and 85%, preferably between 40% and 60%, of the area of the deflection surface (18) used in step e) for impinging source material (32) of the initial flow (50). Method according to claim 20 or 21 , characterized in that the additional flow (62) of source material (32) is used for diagnostics and/or monitoring of the initial flow (50) of source material (32), whereby preferably the one or more straight through holes (14) and/or gaps (16) cover between 20% and 0.1 %, preferably between 10% and 2%, of the area of the deflection surface (18) used in step e) for impinging source material (32) of the initial flow (50). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the deflection surface (18) is reflective for electromagnetic radiation (70), in particular for electromagnetic radiation (70) used to evaporate and/or sublimate the source material (32) from the source (34) and/or for additional 39 electromagnetic radiation (70) used for diagnostics and/or monitoring the operation of the evaporation system (30). Method according to claim 24, characterized in that impinging electromagnetic radiation (70) nevertheless absorbed by the reflective deflection surface (18) is used for the heating of the deflection device (10) in step c). Deflection device (10) for altering a flow of source material (32) from an initial flow (50) into an altered flow (60) in an evaporation system (30) characterized in that the deflection device (10) comprises a heatable deflection body (12) with a deflection surface (18) for deflecting the initial flow (50), the deflection device (10) further comprising an arrangement means (22) for arranging the deflection device (10) in a path of the initial flow (50) of the source material (32), whereby the deflection surface (18) faces the initial flow (50). Deflection device (10) according to claim 25, characterized in that the deflection device (10) is usable for carrying out a method according to one of the claims 1 to 24. Deflection device (10) according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that the deflection device (10) comprises two or more separate and distinct deflection surfaces (18), whereby each of the two or more deflection surfaces (18) is enabled to deflect an impinging initial flow (50) of source material (32) into a respective altered flow (60) of source material (32), in particular whereby each of the deflection surfaces (18) is intended for a usage in a 40 separate instance of the method according one of the claims 1 to 23. Evaporation system (30), in particular a thermal laser evaporation system (30), for a deposition of source material (32) onto a substrate (36), the source material (32) provided by a source (34), the system (30) comprising a reaction chamber with a chamber wall for arranging the source (34) and the substrate (36), characterized in that the evaporation system (30) comprises a deflection device (10) according to one of the claims 25 to 27 and/or the evaporation system (30) is usable for carrying out a method according to one of the claims 1 to 24. Evaporation system (30) according to claim 28, characterized in that the evaporation system (30) comprises two or more distinct and spatially separated sources (34), each of the sources (34) providing a, preferably different, source material (32), and further two or more deflection devices (10) respectively allocated to one of the initial flows (50) of source material (32) originating from the two or more sources (34), whereby the respective altered flows (60) of source material (32) provided by the two or more deflection devices (10) are directed onto the same substrate (36). Evaporation system (30) according to claim 28 or 29, characterized in that the reaction chamber is fillable with a reaction atmosphere (40), and/or the source material (32) is evaporated and/or sublimated by electromagnetic radiation (70), whereby the chamber wall comprises a coupling means for coupling the electromagnetic radiation (70) into the reaction chamber.