A structure zone diagram including plasma-based deposition and ion etching

Abstract

An extended structure zone diagram is proposed that includes energetic deposition, characterized by a large flux of ions typical for deposition by filtered cathodic arcs and high power impulse magnetron sputtering. The axes are comprised of a generalized homologous temperature, the normalized kinetic energy flux, and the net film thickness, which can be negative due to ion etching. It is stressed that the number of primary physical parameters affecting growth by far exceeds the number of available axes in such a diagram and therefore it can only provide an approximate and simplified illustration of the growth condition-structure relationships.

An introduction to thin film processing using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering

“…The microstructure is determined primarily by surface and bulk diffusion processes, 91,119 which are controlled by the deposition temperature, the bombardment by energetic species, and the incorporation of impurities that act as inhibitors for the crystal and grain growth. 91,119,122 Deposition at relatively low temperatures (typically lower than 0.4T m , where T m is the melting temperature of the deposited material) using state-of-the-art sputtering techniques allows only for surface diffusion to be activated leading to the formation of films with a columnar microstructure and intercolumnar porosity [see Fig. 10(a) for CrN films].…”

Energetic condensation growth of Nb thin films

“…1 (reproduced from Ref. [12]) shows that high energy ions effectively permit low-temperature ion-assisted epitaxial growth. This paper presents several examples of such epitaxial growth of Nb films on various substrates.…”

“…SZD for ion-assisted vacuum deposition (reproduced from Ref. [12] with permission from Elsevier publishers).…”

“…This SZD is applicable to processes in which the source plasma is created in a partial pressure of noble gas such as argon. Anders [12] (see Fig. 1) has offered a variation on the SZD that is more appropriate for vacuum deposition.…”

Solid particle erosion mechanisms of protective coatings for aerospace applications

“…The effects of process parameters on the resulting microstructure have been studied extensively and are described by various Structure Zone Models (SZMs) proposed by Movchan and Demchishin for evaporated films [32], Thornton [33], Messier et al [34], and Kelly and Arnell [35] for sputtered films, and more recently by Anders [36] for sputtered films taking into account the ionization of the condensing atoms. In Figure 2.4, the SZM proposed by Anders is presented where the effects of generalized substrate temperature (T * ) and normalized delivered energy flux (E * ) on the coating microstructure can be seen.…”