Design and fabrication of a fume extractor controller for pulsed laser deposition of thin films

Abstract

The deposition of thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is performed inside a deposition chamber. When the chamber is opened to change substrates and/or targets, the material deposited on the inner walls of the chamber releases vapors that are toxic in high concentrations. In order to improve user safety and optimize both time and resources, we fabricated a low-cost fume extraction system based on a domestic vacuum cleaner motor. The system, which proved to achieve an efficient flow rate and to work at acceptable temperature and noise levels, has been operational at the INTECIN Laser Ablation Laboratory since 2021. In this work, we present a controller of the vapor extraction system. Using an Arduino Nano development board, the controller provides assistance to the user through an interactive menu on an LCD display and a push button. Also, it electronically controls the switching on and off of the extractor motor and two acoustic box coolers.We have implemented protection sensors to make the system more robust: a liquid sensor to detect possible water leaks from the cooling system, failure sensors for both coolers, and a digital temperature sensor to stop the extractor motor if it reaches high temperatures. The display, a buzzer, and a series of LED lights provide warning indications when necessary.