Characterisation parameters for unbalanced magnetron sputtering systems

Svadkovski, Igor; Голосов, Д. А.; Zavatskiy, S.M.

doi:10.1016/s0042-207x(02)00385-8

Cited by 70 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The magnetic null was found at z = 44 mm from the surface of the target slightly off the center line. A magnetic null point so close to the target is indicative for a very unbalanced magnetron, 44 which is confirmed by the presence of field lines guiding plasma away from the magnetron.…”

Section: A Magnetic Field Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Plasma potential mapping of high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges

Rauch

Mendelsberg

Sanders

et al. 2012

Journal of Applied Physics

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Pulsed emissive probe techniques have been used to determine the plasma potential distribution of high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharges. An unbalanced magnetron with a niobium target in argon was investigated for pulse length of 100 µs at a pulse repetition rate of 100 Hz, giving a peak current of 170 A. The probe data were taken with a time resolution of 20 ns and a spatial resolution of 1 mm. It is shown that the local plasma potential varies greatly in space and time. The lowest potential was found over the target's racetrack, gradually reaching anode potential (ground) several centimeters away from the target. The magnetic pre-sheath exhibits a funnel-shaped plasma potential resulting in an electric field which accelerates ions toward the racetrack. In certain regions and times, the potential exhibits weak local maxima which allow for ion acceleration to the substrate. Knowledge of the local E and static B fields lets us derive the electrons' E × B drift velocity, which is about 10 5 m/s and shows structures in space and time.

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Section: A Magnetic Field Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Plasma potential mapping of high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges

Rauch

Mendelsberg

Sanders

et al. 2012

Journal of Applied Physics

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“…B ⊥ represents the magnetic field strength perpendicular to the magnet, and S is the area of the magnet [34]. One way of changing the magnet balance is shifting the position of the inner and outer magnets relative to the target surface (see figure 15).…”

Section: Magnet Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Sputter Deposition Processes

Depla

Mahieu

Greene

2010

Handbook of Deposition Technologies for Films and Coatings

123

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Sputter deposition is a widely used technique to deposit thin films on substrates. The technique is based upon ion bombardment of a source material, the target. Ion bombardment results in a vapor due to a purely physical process, i.e. the sputtering of the target material. Hence, this technique is part of the class of physical vapor deposition techniques, which includes, for example, thermal evaporation and pulsed laser deposition. The most common approach for growing thin films by sputter deposition is the use of a magnetron source in which positive ions present in the plasma of a magnetically enhanced glow discharge bombard the target. This popular technique forms the focus of this chapter. The target can be powered in different ways, ranging from dc for conductive targets, to rf for nonconductive targets, to a variety of different ways of applying current and/or voltage pulses to the target. Since sputtering is a purely physical process, adding chemistry to, for example, deposit a compound layer must be done ad hoc through the addition of a reactive gas to the plasma, i.e. reactive sputtering. The undesirable reaction of the reactive gas with the target material results in a non-linear behavior of the deposition parameters as a function of the reactive gas flow. To model this behavior, the fluxes of the various species towards the target must be determined. However, equally important are the fluxes of species incident at the substrate because they not only influence the reactive sputter deposition process, but also control the growth of the desired film. Indeed, the microstructure of magnetron sputter deposited films is defined by the identity of the particles arriving at the substrate, their fluxes and the energy per particle.

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“…The axial component of the magnetic field is almost nullified thereby. Electrons from the magnetron discharge move along the mag netic field lines to the chamber walls, which results in low densities of the electron and ion currents in the substrate region [5]. Thus, the ion current of the sub strate in the case of magnetic sputtering depends on the magnetron unbalance and increases with it (with an increase in the additional coil current; Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For effective realization of the IBAM method, it is necessary to ensure a certain over lap of the ranges of the working pressures of ion plasma devices by reducing the minimal working pres sure of the MSS to a level of 0.02-0.04 Pa. As noted above, the initiation of the discharge of traditional magnetrons at such pressures is rather complicated. However, such working pressures are ensured by low pressure MSS with an additional coil [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Joint functioning of a magnetron sputtering system and an end-hall ion source

2014

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The features of joint operation of a magnetron sputtering system (MSS) and an end Hall ion source (EHIS) are investigated. It is noted that the initiation of the magnetron discharge leads to partial or complete neutralization of the ion beam generated by the EHIS; in other words, in some regimes of the MSS, the ion source operates in the filament free regime. In such a case, the magnetron discharge is the source of electrons required for sustaining the discharge and for compensating the ion beam from the EHIS. The dependences of the discharge characteristics of the EHIS and MSS are established when a filament neutral izer and MSS discharge are used for compensating the EHIS ion beam. The balance of currents in the ion source-magnetron sputtering system is considered by analyzing the joint functioning of the MSS and EHIS. It is shown that the maximal discharge current from the ion source for which the charge compensation con dition is preserved depends on the unbalance and the magnetron discharge current.

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Characterisation parameters for unbalanced magnetron sputtering systems

Cited by 70 publications

References 11 publications

Plasma potential mapping of high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges

Plasma potential mapping of high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges

Sputter Deposition Processes

Joint functioning of a magnetron sputtering system and an end-hall ion source

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