DESIGN OF CONTROL SYSTEM FOR MANUFACTURING OF PERIODICAL MULTILAYER X-RAY MIRRORS

Abstract

Periodical multilayer mirrors (PMMs) are coatings used in various industrial and scientific applications for the manipulation of X-Rays. PPMs consist of periodically repeated stacks; every stack comprises nanolayers of several different materials. The number of stacks may vary from 50 to 500. Manufacturing such coatings, consisting of hundreds of nanolayers, needs precise sputtering deposition systems. A deposition system must provide a stable deposition rate and accurate deposition time control. This paper developed a new process control system to satisfy these requirements. Before running the deposition process, the final script is saved automatically to a backup folder; the file name is created automatically and includes the date and time that is why every deposition can be repeated with the same parameters. Multithreading and precise microcontrollers allowed real-time management of the deposition process and increased user interface responsiveness. System architecture and hardware structure schemes for robust PMMs manufacturing were designed. Corresponding operator software having custom script language was developed to provide flexibility and simplicity of operation. The architecture of the software allowed high responsiveness of the user interfaces. The system was tested to verify the reliability of the deposition process and the high quality of PMMs. Keywords: Process control, vacuum, sputtering, automation, SCADA, user interface.