| 2026 №03 (01) | 2026 №03 (03) |
"Suchasna Elektrometallurgiya" (Electrometallurgy Today), 2026, #3, 11-18 pages
Technological aspects of electron beam evaporation of magnesium in vacuum
O.V. Gornostai
, V.O. Osokin, S.Ye. Lytvyn, L.A. Krushynska, M.A. Khokhlov, J.A. Khokhlova
E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the NAS of Ukraine
11 Kazymyr Malevych Str., 03150, Kyiv, Ukraine.
E-mail: gornostai.o.v@gmail.com
Abstract
Magnesium coatings are considered a promising class of biodegradable functional coatings for the surface modification of implant materials owing to the ability of magnesium ions to stimulate bone tissue regeneration and enhance osseointegration. This paper presents the results of investigations into the formation features of magnesium films (coatings) with a thickness of 0.6…3.6 μm deposited by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB–PVD) under vacuum. The EB–PVD process provides high-purity films and precise control of deposition parameters. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of evaporator design and the geometry of the directed vapor flux on the structure, morphology, and elemental composition of magnesium films deposited onto silicon and copper substrates by evaporation from open (crucible-type) and channel-type tungsten evaporators. The substrate temperature varied from 40 to 98 °C, while the deposition time ranged from 60 to 720 s. The use of the channel-type evaporator was found to provide a more stable evaporation process and localized coating deposition with higher evaporation material utilization efficiency. It was demonstrated that the orientation of the substrate relative to the magnesium vapor flux significantly affects the morphology of the deposited films: vertically oriented substrates promote the formation of finer-grained structures with a narrower grain size distribution, whereas horizontally oriented substrates result in a coarser-grained microstructure. Reducing the evaporation rate to 1.24 mg s–1, combined with a directed vapor flux, was shown to promote the formation of homogeneous magnesium films with a homogeneous submicron microstructure and an average grain size of approximately 0.3 μm. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of a crystalline magnesium phase with a predominant (002) orientation, which may potentially improve the corrosion behavior of the coatings. 12 Ref., 3 Tabl., 5 Fig.
Keywords: electron beam, vapor phase, magnesium, silicon, copper, coatings
Received: 22.06.2026
Received in revised form: 06.07.2026
Accepted: 14.07.2026
Posted online: 24.07.2026
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