Target ion and neutral spread in high power impulse magnetron sputteringShow others and affiliations
2023 (English)In: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. A. Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, ISSN 0734-2101, E-ISSN 1520-8559, Vol. 41, no 1, article id 013002Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
In magnetron sputtering, only a fraction of the sputtered target material leaving the ionization region is directed toward the substrate. This fraction may be different for ions and neutrals of the target material as the neutrals and ions can exhibit a different spread as they travel from the target surface toward the substrate. This difference can be significant in high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) where a substantial fraction of the sputtered material is known to be ionized. Geometrical factors or transport parameters that account for the loss of produced film-forming species to the chamber walls are needed for experimental characterization and modeling of the magnetron sputtering discharge. Here, we experimentally determine transport parameters for ions and neutral atoms in a HiPIMS discharge with a titanium target for various magnet configurations. Transport parameters are determined to a typical substrate, with the same diameter (100 mm) as the cathode target, and located at a distance 70 mm from the target surface. As the magnet configuration and/or the discharge current are changed, the transport parameter for neutral atoms xi(tn) remains roughly the same, while transport parameters for ions xi(ti) vary greatly. Furthermore, the relative ion-to-neutral transport factors, xi(ti)/xi(tn), that describe the relative deposited fractions of target material ions and neutrals onto the substrate, are determined to be in the range from 0.4 to 1.1.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Vacuum Society , 2023. Vol. 41, no 1, article id 013002
National Category
Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-322933DOI: 10.1116/6.0002292ISI: 000898094100001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85144631755OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-322933DiVA, id: diva2:1725042
Note
QC 20230110
2023-01-102023-01-102023-01-12Bibliographically approved