A high power impulse magnetron sputtering model to explain high deposition rate magnetic field configurations

High Power ImpulseMagnetronSputtering (HiPIMS) is one of the recent developments in the field ofmagnetronsputtering technology that is capable of producing high performance, high qualitythin films. Commercial implementation of HiPIMS technology has been a huge challenge due to its lowerdeposition rates compared to direct currentMagnetronSputtering. The cylindrically symmetric “TriPack”magnet pack for a 10  cm sputtermagnetron that was developed at the Center for Plasma Material Interactions was able to produce higherdeposition rates in HiPIMS compared to conventional pack HiPIMS for the same average power. The “TriPack”magnet pack in HiPIMS produces superior substrate uniformity without the need of substrate rotation in addition to producing higher metal ion fraction to the substrate when compared to the conventional pack HiPIMS [Ramanet al., Surf. Coat. Technol.293, 10 (2016)]. Thefilms that aredeposited using the “TriPack”magnet pack have much smaller grains compared to conventional pack DC and HiPIMSfilms. In this paper, the reasons behind the observed increase in HiPIMSdeposition rates from the TriPackmagnet pack along with a modified particle flux model is discussed.
Source: Journal of Applied Physics - Category: Physics Authors: Source Type: research
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