Design and Development of Software for the SILAR Control Process Using a Low-Cost Embedded System

Abstract

Inexpensive equipment for the deposition of semiconductor thin films by SILAR was designed. Using a low-cost embedded system, a prototype controlled through a human–machine interface (HMI) was constructed. Simple, open-source software was used. The use of an HMI and programming based on state machines showed an improvement in the system control, program flow, and efficiency. The system development consists of three stages: structural design, electronics, and programming of the control and HMI. This system controls the variables of the SILAR process, such as immersion time in chemical solutions, sequence of substrates, and the number of cycles. In order to test the automated SILAR prototype, copper oxide thin films on glass substrates were processed. The copper oxide thin films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-VIS, and SEM to investigate the structural, optical, and morphological properties, respectively.