Providing Technology Solutions since 1996
At Intlvac, we specialize in Etch, Evaporation, Sputter, and PECVD process technologies, forming the cornerstone of our expertise.
With decades of expertise in thin film coating and etching tools, Intlvac has perfected systems for advanced processes like E-Beam and Thermal Evaporation, DC Magnetron Sputtering, and Plasma-Assisted Reactive Sputtering. Using these techniques, we deliver high-quality coating services across a wide range of materials and complex geometries.
Find every component for the Mark I and Mark II Ion Sources in our online store. With parts in stock and next-day shipping.
Intlvac is the exclusive Canadian distributor for Leybold vacuum products and certified service.
For over half a century, the semiconductor industry has harnessed the motion of electrons through silicon to drive computation and communication. As transistor density has followed Moore’s Law, data transmission between chips, across boards, and through data centers has continued to rely on electrical interconnects — copper wires and electronic circuits. However, electrons are beginning to hit physical limitations. As frequencies rise, resistive heating, signal loss, and latency increase dramatically. Even with advanced materials and 3D packaging, purely electronic systems cannot scale indefinitely.
To sustain AI’s expansion, the world’s leading semiconductor, telecom, aerospace, and computing firms are pivoting toward photon-based information systems. Photonic chips, optical interposers, and high-speed modulators will form the infrastructure for next-generation computing.
A waveguide is a structure that directs and confines light — much like a wire channels electricity. In integrated photonics, waveguides are tiny optical ‘roads’ etched into materials that steer light signals between components on a chip. A waveguide’s performance depends on its ability to confine light efficiently (high refractive index contrast), minimize scattering and propagation losses, and maintain stable phase and polarization characteristics. This makes material choice critical — and one material is now emerging as the industry favorite: lithium niobate (LiNbO₃).
The Nanoquest II employs a broad-beam ion source combined with fully adjustable substrate motion to achieve precise, purely physical material removal through momentum transfer from inert ions such as argon. This process eliminates the chemical dependencies of plasma etching, providing exceptional control over geometry, uniformity, and surface quality.
With its material-agnostic ion beam etching capability, Nanoquest II can process even the most chemically inert materials, including LiNbO₃, SiO₂, and sapphire. Adjustable beam incidence angles and substrate rotation deliver smooth, vertical sidewalls free from redeposition artifacts, while tunable ion energy and in-situ cooling preserve optical integrity by minimizing damage and contamination.
The system’s collimated beam ensures consistent etch rates across wafers up to 200 mm, and compatibility with a wide range of masking materials—including metals and multilayer dielectrics—extends process flexibility. Optional tilt-etch cycles and beam neutralization maintain optical-grade smoothness, making Nanoquest II the cornerstone of advanced photonic fabrication in lithium niobate and other challenging substrates.
The Nanochrome™ IV utilizes Plasma Assisted Reactive Magnetron Sputtering (PARMS) to deposit highly uniform oxide and nitride thin films essential for every stage of LiNbO₃ device fabrication. These precision coatings provide the structural, optical, and protective layers required for high-performance photonic devices.
Through PARMS, materials such as SiO₂, Si₃N₄, and Al₂O₃ are deposited as dense, conformal films ideal for masking, passivation, and optical layer engineering. During high-aspect-ratio etching in the Nanoquest II, these durable coatings act as robust hard masks that preserve pattern fidelity and protect surfaces under demanding plasma and ion beam conditions. Following nanostructuring, the same dielectric films serve as tuning or passivation layers, enhancing optical confinement and device reliability.
Integrated seamlessly into Intlvac’s cluster environment, the PARMS process maintains a continuous, contamination-free workflow from deposition through etch and lift-off. This closed-system integration ensures reproducibility and pristine interfaces, empowering researchers and manufacturers to advance the limits of quantum photonics, high-speed communications, and integrated optical systems.
The Aegis DLC system provides a critical enabling layer for precision etching in LNOI (Lithium Niobate on Insulator) waveguide fabrication. Using Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), it deposits a thin, diamond-like carbon (DLC) film from hydrocarbon precursors to form a hardmask with exceptional hardness, adhesion, and etch selectivity.
Once deposited, the DLC layer undergoes oxygen plasma patterning to define intricate features with high resolution. Subsequent argon Ion Beam Etching (IBE) transfers these patterns into the underlying lithium niobate substrate, achieving nanometer-level accuracy and smooth, vertical sidewalls. Post-etch cleaning removes the DLC mask, revealing finely structured LNOI waveguides with exceptional optical performance.
By combining mechanical robustness with precise process control, the Aegis DLC module ensures repeatable, high-fidelity pattern transfer—an indispensable step in producing reliable and scalable photonic devices for advanced communications and quantum technologies.