An evaporation system for the preparation of ternary compounds

A computer-controlled high vacuum evaporation system has been constructed for the fabrication of ternary compounds such as the Chevrel phase materials. The latter are formed on a substrate held at high temperatures with the constituent elements being deposited from some combination of electron beam sources, resistively heated Langmuir sources, and Knudsen sources. Unique features of the system include the techniques employed to handle sulfur in a high vacuum environment, and the monitoring and control system used to ensure the formation of stoichiometric compounds with a high degree of compositional uniformity.