Abstract
This paper reports on development of high vacuum flash evaporation equipment for continuous deposition of thick TiNiCu shape memory alloy (SMA) film. A pellet supply unit with load-lock chamber was separated from a main chamber of flash evaporation equipment. The pellet supply unit enabled to supply the source pellet as the main chamber is kept under high vacuum, resulting in prevention of SMA film oxidation while vacuum chamber opening for evaporation source supplying. The developed flash evaporation equipment was able to recover its high vacuum near to base pressure within 20 min after source pellets are added in the load-lock chamber. TiNiCu film flash-evaporated in this equipment showed appropriate shape recovery deformation at about 60℃. Composition of the film was Ti-53.2 at.% Ni-1.5 at.% Cu.
