The Influence of Pulse Frequency and Duty on the Deposition Rate in Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering

Kelly, Peter; Onifade, Ayokola A.; Zhou, Yanwen; Clarke, Gregory; Audronis, M.; Bradley, James W.

doi:10.1002/ppap.200600159

Cited by 32 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Although significantly lower discharge currents are recorded with weaker B fields (figure 2) due to the fall in plasma density, in the case of HiPIMS this actually leads to an increase in deposition rate. In agreement with pulsed-DC sputtering, HiPIMS deposition rates decrease with pulse frequency and the argument of dead-time [18] may apply here.…”

Section: The Experimental Arrangementsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Clearly from figure 3 the peak in the discharge voltage Vd increases only marginally (by about ~ 5% at the peak) as the B-field at the target is reduced (by  45%), however Vd values hold up significantly during the pulse as we go from BF1 to BF4. The average HiPIMS target voltages <Vd> increase from 246 to 511 V as the B-field is lowered, as shown in yiled Figure 4 also reveals lower deposition rates for higher pulsed-DC frequencies, which can be understood on the basis of the arguments proposed in [18] in that there is a dead-time (500 to 1000 ns) associated with each pulse 'on-time'. This is the formative time lag described by Anders [19].…”

Section: The Experimental Arrangementmentioning

confidence: 80%

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The effect of changing the magnetic field strength on HiPIMS deposition rates

Bradley

Mishra

Kelly

2015

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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The marked difference in behaviour between HiPIMS and conventional DC or pulsed-DC magnetron sputtering discharges with changing magnetic field strengths is demonstrated through measurements of deposition rate. To provide a comparison between techniques the same circular magnetron was operated in the three excitation modes at a fixed average power of 680 W and a pressure of 0.54 Pa in the nonreactive sputtering of titanium. The total magnetic field strength B at the cathode surface in the middle of the racetrack was varied from 195 to 380 G. DC and pulsed-DC discharges show the expected behaviour that deposition rates fall with decreasing B (here by ~ 25 to 40%), however the opposite trend is observed in HiPIMS with deposition rates rising by a factor of 2 over the same decrease in B.These observations are understood from the stand point of the different composition and transport processes of the depositing metal flux between the techniques. In HiPIMS, this flux is largely ionic and slow post-ionized sputtered particles are subject to strong back attraction to the target by a retarding plasma potential structure ahead of them. The height of this potential barrier is known to increase with increasing B.From a simple phenomenological model of the sputtered particle fluxes, using the measured deposition rates from the different techniques as inputs, the combined probabilities of ionization, α, and back attraction, β, of the metal species in HiPIMS has been calculated. There is a clear fall in αβ (from 0.9 to 0.7) with decreasing Bfield strengths, we argue primarily due to a weakening of electrostatic ion back attraction, so leading to higher deposition rates. The results indicate that careful design of magnetron field strengths should be considered to optimise HiPIMS deposition rates.

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Section: The Experimental Arrangementsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: The Experimental Arrangementmentioning

confidence: 80%

The effect of changing the magnetic field strength on HiPIMS deposition rates

Bradley

Mishra

Kelly

2015

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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“…The magnetron was driven in pulsed magnetron sputtering mode at 250 kHz at a duty of 50% using an Advanced Energy Pinnacle Plus power supply. This frequency (250 kHz) was found to be the lowest at which a stable discharge was obtained (previous work by the authors has shown that deposition rate decreases as pulse frequency is increased in this system [16], hence the preference to operate at lower frequencies). The power supply was operated in power regulation mode at 300 W. The operating pressure was fixed at 0.2 Pa using an argon:oxygen flow rate ratio of 2.5:1.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 77%

An Investigation into W or Nb or ZnFe2O4 Doped Titania Nanocomposites Deposited from Blended Powder Targets for UV/Visible Photocatalysis

et al. 2013

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Abstract:The photocatalytic behavior of titania coatings is largely determined by their crystalline structure. Depending on deposition conditions, though, titania may form amorphous, brookite, anatase or rutile structures, with anatase or anatase/rutile mixed phase structures showing the highest levels of activity. Anatase is activated by UV light and, consequently, there is a great deal of interest in doping titania films to both increase activity and extend it into the visible range. In this study, titania and doped titania coatings have been deposited from blended oxide powder targets. This highly versatile and economical technique allows dopant levels to be readily varied. Using this technique, titania coatings doped with W, Nb and ZnFe2O4 have been deposited onto glass substrates by pulsed magnetron sputtering. The as-deposited coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Selected coatings were then annealed at temperatures in the range of 400-700 °C and re-analyzed. Structural transformation of the titania coatings was initiated in the 500-600 °C range, with the coatings annealed at 700 °C having predominantly anatase structures. The photocatalytic activity of the coatings was assessed through OPEN ACCESSCoatings 2013, 3 154 measurements of the degradation of organic dyes, such as methyl orange, under the influence of UV and fluorescent light sources. It was found that, after annealing, coatings with photo-active surfaces were produced and that activity varied with dopant content. Activity levels under fluorescent light irradiation were up to 60% of the activity measured under UV irradiation.

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“…The growing film is bombarded by ions of appropriate energy to cause modification of its structure and properties, and the rate of arrival of the ions, and hence the degree of structural modification can be controlled by varying the pulse frequency. Also, the average power dissipated at the target decreases with increasing pulse frequency and at the start of each pulse there is a dead time during which negligible sputtering occurs and the proportion of this dead time increases with increasing pulse frequency and so the deposition rate is lower at a higher frequency [23,25]. The rate of voltage change at the target during the initial stages of the pulseon period and the maximum negative voltage attained during the pulse-on period is significantly lower at higher frequencies [25].…”

Section: Aeffect Of Pulse Power Supply Parameters On the Growth Charmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, the average power dissipated at the target decreases with increasing pulse frequency and at the start of each pulse there is a dead time during which negligible sputtering occurs and the proportion of this dead time increases with increasing pulse frequency and so the deposition rate is lower at a higher frequency [23,25]. The rate of voltage change at the target during the initial stages of the pulseon period and the maximum negative voltage attained during the pulse-on period is significantly lower at higher frequencies [25]. Since sputtering rate is proportional to power and sputtering yield is proportional to target voltage, both these factors tend to lower the deposition rate at a higher frequency (Fig.…”

Section: Aeffect Of Pulse Power Supply Parameters On the Growth Charmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Zirconium Thin Films by Pulsed Direct Current Magnetron Sputtering: Effect of Pulsed Parameters

Singh¹,

Kuppusami²,

Thirumurugesan³

et al. 2014

Int. Jour. Des. Manf. Tech.

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This paper characterizes phases present in thin Zr films at 773 K of substrate temperature. The effect of pulsed parameters such as pulse frequency, duty cycle and pulse power during the deposition of Zr film on Si(100) at the substrate temperature of 773 K has been studied. Formation of α-phase of zirconium was noticed with (001) preferred orientation at 773 K. Preferred orientation was found to be influenced by the pulse parameters. It is noticed that crystallite size decreased with increasing frequency and duty cycle, whereas it increased with increasing pulse power. Nanoindentation measurements indicted that the hardness of the films was in the range 4-8 GPa as a function of pulsed parameters.

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The Influence of Pulse Frequency and Duty on the Deposition Rate in Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering

Cited by 32 publications

References 21 publications

The effect of changing the magnetic field strength on HiPIMS deposition rates

The effect of changing the magnetic field strength on HiPIMS deposition rates

An Investigation into W or Nb or ZnFe2O4 Doped Titania Nanocomposites Deposited from Blended Powder Targets for UV/Visible Photocatalysis

Development of Zirconium Thin Films by Pulsed Direct Current Magnetron Sputtering: Effect of Pulsed Parameters

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