DESIGNING AND FABRICATION OF A LOW-COST DIP-COATER FOR RAPID PRODUCTION OF UNIFORM THIN FILMS

Abstract

In this work, a self-made dip-coater equipment was developed for the fabrication of thin films. The assembly of the apparatus was carried out using simple mechanical and electronic pieces, recycle parts, and spending an inexpensive budget suitably. The production, software design, and features of the device were focused on the sol-gel dip-coating method, which involves gravitational draining and drying processes, as well as continued condensation reactions. The dip-coater was based on the Arduino microcontroller and a step motor. The immersion speed in the solution, the waiting time, and the withdrawal process were typed by a digital control panel, where the optimal range found for speed was 0.1 – 6.0 mm s-1 without vibration interferences. The total fabrication cost of the fabricated dip coater was less than 100 USD and the assembly process was not complicated. Finally, the performance of the dip-coater was evaluated through the deposit of copper oxide and iron oxide films on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrates layer by layer. The field emission scanning electron microscopy cross-section images confirm the formation of thin films with thickness in the nanoscale range, with good stability and sameness achieved through the control thickness during the dip-coating method under ambient conditions.