Effect of radio-frequency substrate bias on ion properties and sputtering behavior of 2 MHz magnetron sputtering

The effect of radio-frequency substrate bias on ion properties and sputtering behavior of 2 MHz magnetron discharge was investigated. The ion velocity distribution function(IVDF), the maximum ion energy and ion flux density were measured at the substrate by a retarding field energy analyzer. The sputtering behavior was investigated by the electric characteristics of target and bias discharges using voltage–current probe technique. It was found that the substrate bias led to the decrease of sputtering power, voltage and current with the amplitude 7.5%. The substrate bias also led to the broadening of IVDFs and the increase of ion flux density, made the energy divergent of ions impacting the substrate. This effect was further enhanced by increasing bias power and reducing discharge pressure.     

Effect of Frequency and Power of Bias Applied to Substrate on Plasma Property of Very-High-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

The effect of the frequency and power of the bias applied to the substrate on plasma properties in 60 MHz(VHF) magnetron sputtering was investigated.The plasma properties include the ion velocity distribution function(IVDF),electron energy probability function(EEPF),electron density n_e,ion flux Γ_i,and effective electron temperature T_(eff).These parameters were measured by a retarding field energy analyzer and a Langmuir probe in the 60 MHz magnetron sputtering,assisted with 13.56 MHz or 27.12 MHz substrate bias.The 13.56 MHz substrate bias led to broadening and multi-peaks IVDFs,Maxwellian EEPFs,as well as high electron density,ion flux,and low electron temperature.The 27.12 MHz substrate bias led to a further increase of electron density and ion flux,but made the IVDFs narrow.Therefore,the frequency of the substrate bias was a possible way to control the plasma properties in VHF magnetron sputtering.     

Effect of gas pressure on ion energy at substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency and very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering discharge

The effect of gas pressure on ion energy distribution at the substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency (RF) and very-high-frequency (VHF) magnetron sputtering discharge was investigated. At lower pressure, the evolution of maximum ion energy (E) with discharge voltage (V) varied with the excitation frequency, due to the joint contribution of the ion generation in the bulk plasma and the ion movement across the sheath related to the ion transit sheath time τi and RF period τ_RF. At higher pressure, the evolution of E–V relationships did not vary with the excitation frequency, due to the balance between the energy lost through collisions and the energy gained by acceleration in the electric field. Therefore, for RF and VHF magnetron discharge, lower gas pressure can have a clear influence on the E–V relationship.     

Effect of Internal Antenna Coil Power on the Plasma Parameters in13.56 MHz/60 MHz Dual-Frequency Sputtering

The plasma property of a hybrid ICP/sputtering discharge driven by 13.56 MHz/60 MHz power sources was investigated by Langmuir probe measurement. For the pure sputtering discharge, the low electron density and ion flux, the rise of floating potential and plasma potential with increasing power, as well as the bi-Maxwellian distribution of electron en- ergy distributions （EEDFs） were obtained. The assistance of ICP discharge led to the effective increases of electron density and ion flux, the suppression of rise of floating potential and plasma potential, as well as the change of EEDFs from bi-Maxwellian distribution into Maxwellian dis- tribution. The increase of electron density and ion flux, and the EEDFs evolution were related to the effective electron heating by the induced electric field.     

Growth and structural properties of silicon on Ag films prepared by 40.68 MHz very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering

The growth of silicon on Ag films via 40.68 MHz very-high-frequency (VHF) magnetron sputtering was investigated.The energy distribution and flux density of the ions on the substrate were also measured.The results showed that 40.68 MHz magnetron sputtering can produce ions with higher energy and lower flux density.The impact of these ions onto the grown surface promotes the growth of silicon,which is related to the crystalline nature and rnicrostructure of the underlayer of the Ag films,and there is large particle growth of silicon on Ag films with a preferred orientation of (111),and two-dimensional growth of silicon on Ag films with a better face-centered cubic structure.     

Control of growth and structure of Ag films by the driving frequency of magnetron sputtering

The growth and structural properties of Ag films prepared by radio-frequency (2,13.56 and 27.12 MHz) and very-high-frequency (40.68 and 60 MHz) magnetron sputtering were investigated.Using 2 MHz sputtering,the Ag film has a high deposition rate,a uniform and smooth surface and a good fcc structure.Using 13.56 and 27.12 MHz sputtering,the Ag films still have a high deposition rate and a good fcc structure,but a non-uniform and coarse surface.Using 40.68 MHz sputtering,the Ag film has a moderate deposition rate and a good fcc structure,but a less smooth surface.Using 60 MHz sputtering,the Ag film has a uniform and smooth surface,but a low deposition rate and a poor fcc structure.The growth and structural properties of Ag films are related to the ions' energy and flux density.Therefore,changing the driving frequency is a good way to control the growth and structure of the Ag films.     

Influence of low-energy bombardment of an RF magnetron sputtering discharge on texture formation and stress in ZnO films

In an oxygen planar RF magnetron sputtering discharge, the time-averaged flux and energy of positive ions drifting out of the plasma and striking the substrate surface have been determined as a function of RF discharge power over a range of 100 to 1000 W, and as a function of chamber pressure from 0.2 to 6 Pa by measurement of ion-current density and time-averaged plasma sheath potential at the substrate. These data were related to the resulting crystal structure of the deposited ZnO films which had been studied in detail using well-known methods of X-ray diffraction. The impact energy of the positive ions bombarding the growing film varies from some 10 eV to close 50 eV depending on magnetron RF discharge power and oxygen pressure, respectively. The incident ion flux was found to be below 1× 10¹⁵ cm⁻²s⁻¹ up to 1 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻²s⁻¹, a value of the same order of magnitude as that for the condensing rate of sputtered ZnO species. The structural results obtained show that both the ion energy and the ion flux in the range mentioned above cause significant changes in the degree of crystallinity, preferred orientation and texture sharpness of the deposited ZnO films. Furthermore, positive ion bombardment during film growth has been found to alter the ZnO unit cell dimension up to 2% relative to the equilibrium bulk or powder value which is responsible for the formation of strong compressive residual stress of up to several GPa within the ZnO film. Following these results, one of the criterions for preparing highly c-axis oriented ZnO films with columnar grain structure is to decrease both the energy and the flux of the positive ion bombardment without decreasing the deposition rate of ZnO species. At a such slight-bombardment RF magnetron deposition the compressive residual stress of the ZnO film can be reduced towards zero.     

On the carbon and tungsten sputtering rate in a magnetron discharge

Magnetron discharge as sputtering source can serve as an alternative tool for the study of the plasma-wall interaction, with applications for ITER divertor. The present work reports on the influence of the target power density and the nature of the projectile on the erosion of C and W targets. The experimental results concern the sputtering rate of carbon and tungsten targets of a d.c. magnetron discharge in argon and helium atmosphere, at different gas pressures in the range of 10-100 mTorr and discharge power densities up to 40 W cm⁻² while the discharge current intensity was used as control parameter. In this investigation, carbon and tungsten sputtering rates were measured using two conventional methods based on gravimetric mass loss and profilometry. Target erosion profiles were compared with the profiles of the ion energy flux bombarding the target, calculated from a 2D fluid model.     

Experimental investigation of the electromagnetic effect and improvement of the plasma radial uniformity in a large-area,very-high frequency capacitive argon discharge

We performed an experimental investigation on the electromagnetic effect and the plasma radial uniformity in a larger-area, cylindrical capacitively coupled plasma reactor. By utilizing a floating hairpin probe, dependences of the plasma radial density on the driving frequency and the radio-frequency power over a wide pressure range of 5–40 Pa were presented. At a relatively low frequency(LF, e.g. 27 MHz), an evident peak generally appears near the electrode edge for all pressures investigated here due to the edge field effect, while at a very high frequency(VHF, e.g.60 or 100 MHz), the plasma density shows a sharp peak at the discharge center at lower pressures, indicating a strong standing wave effect. As the RF power increases, the center-peak structure of plasma density becomes more evident. With increasing the pressure, the standing wave effect is gradually overwhelmed by the ‘stop band' effect, resulting in a transition in the plasma density profile from a central peak to an edge peak. To improve the plasma radial uniformity, a LF source is introduced into the VHF plasma by balancing the standing wave effect with the edge effect. A much better plasma uniformity can be obtained if one chooses appropriate LF powers, pressures and other corresponding discharge parameters.     

Experimental Study of the Effect of Applied Magnetic Field on Plasma Properties of Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering

An experimental study of the effect of applied magnetic field on the properties of the plasma and electrostatic oscillations in an unbalanced magnetron sputtering discharge was carried out. The apparatus consists of a magnetron sputtering target, using the conventional magnetic field configuration, and a coaxial coil around the target for an applied axial magnetic field. The dependencies of plasma parameters on the coil current were studied by two Langmuir probes. The resonance properties of electrostatic oscillations were observed. The results indicate that the applied magnetic field affects the plasma properties for the coil current in a range of 0 to 8 A. The frequency bandwidth of the electrostatic oscillations in the unbalanced magnetron sputtering plasma is in a range of 0 to 300 kHz. From the spectrum analysis, the eigenfrequency near the target is in a range of 20 to 50 kHz under typical experimental conditions where all the magnetic field, pressure, and power etc are able to have full impact on the spectrum characteristics. The calculated value of the electron temperature as per an ion acoustic standing wave pattern inside the magnetic trap is in good agreement with the experimental result.     

Comparison of double layer in argon helicon plasma and magnetized DC discharge plasma

We present in this paper the comparison of an electric double layer (DL) in argon helicon plasma and magnetized direct current (DC) discharge plasma. DL in high-density argon helicon plasma of 13.56 MHz RF discharge was investigated experimentally by a floating electrostatic probe and local optical emission spectroscopy (LOES). The DL characteristics at different operating parameters, including RF power (300–1500 W), tube diameter (8–60 mm), and external magnetic field (0–300 G), were measured. For comparison, DL in magnetized plasma channel of a DC discharge under different conditions was also measured experimentally. The results show that in both cases, DL appears in a divergent magnetic field where the magnetic field gradient is the largest and when the plasma density is sufficiently high. DL strength (or potential drop of DL) increases with the magnetic field in two different structures. It is suggested that the electric DL should be a common phenomenon in dense plasma under a gradient external magnetic field. DL in magnetized plasmas can be controlled properly by magnetic field structure and discharge mode (hence the plasma density).     

The Degradation of Organic Pollutants by Bubble Discharge in Water

Organic pollutants could be degraded by using bubble discharge in water with gas aeration in the discharge reactor and more plasma can be generated in the discharge process.When pulsed high voltage was applied between electrodes with gas aerated into the reactor,it showed that bubbles were broken,which meant that breakdown took place.It could also be observed that the removal rate of phenol increased with increasing discharge voltage or pulse frequency,and with reducing initial phenol concentration or solution electric conductivity.It could remove more amount of phenol by oxygen aeration.With increasing oxygen flow rate,the removal rate increased.There was little difference with air or nitrogen aeration for phenol removal.The solution temperature after discharge increased to a great extent.However,this part of energy consumption did not contribute to the reaction,which led to a reduction in the energy utilization efficiency.     

金属铀表面非平衡磁控溅射CrNx薄膜的XPS分析与腐蚀性能

金属铀的化学性质十分活泼,极易发生氧化腐蚀。为改善基体的抗腐蚀性能,采用非平衡磁控溅射离子镀技术在金属铀表面制备CrN_x薄膜。采用X射线衍射和X射线光电子能谱研究薄膜表面的物相结构和元素成分分布,采用极化曲线研究薄膜的抗腐蚀性能。结果表明,CrN_x薄膜具有较好的致密性和抗腐蚀性能。当氮分压较小时,生成的薄膜为Cr+CrN+Cr₂N混合相。在金属铀表面制备1层CrN_x薄膜后,其腐蚀电位增大约465 mV,腐蚀电流密度明显降低,有效改善了贫铀表面的抗腐蚀性能。     

Influence of heating on the discharge characteristics of a hollow cathode

Hollow cathodes are widely used as electron sources and neutralizers in ion and Hall electric propulsion. Special applications such as commercial aerospace and gravitational wave detection require hollow cathodes with a very wide discharge current range. In this paper, a heater is used to compensate for the temperature drop of the emitter at low current. The self-sustained current can be extended from 0.6 to 0.1 A with a small discharge oscillation and ion energy when the flow rate is constant. This is also beneficial for long-life operation. However, when the discharge current is high(1 A), heating can cause discharge oscillation, discharge voltage and ion energy to increase. Further, combined with a rapid decline of pressure inside the cathode and an increase in the temperature in the cathode orifice plate, electron emission in the orifice and outside the orifice increases and the plasma density in the orifice decreases. This leads to a change in the cathode discharge mode.     

在线低能气体离子源

材料中氦和氢积累可引起材料性能的恶化甚至失效。为研究材料内氦和氢的存在形式、氦与氢及缺陷的相互作用、气泡的形成和演变过程以及各种因素的影响,建立一套离子束能量最高20keV的潘宁型气体离子源引出和聚焦系统,与200kV透射电镜联机,在离子注入现场原位观察氦和氢不同注入浓度下材料内部的微观结构及变化过程。对离子源进行氦离子的起弧、引出和聚焦测试。离子源在15–60mA放电电流范围内稳定地工作。在5×10–3Pa和1.5×10–2Pa工作气压下,放电电压约380V和320V。低气压下引出离子束流比高气压下大,且引出束流随放电电流和吸极电压的增加而增加。等径三圆筒透镜有显著聚焦作用,在距透镜出口150cm处,离子束流密度提高一个量级以上。能量10keV左右的氦离子获得束流密度约200nA·cm–2的离子束,可满足多种材料进行在线离子注入和原位电镜观测的需要。     

Recent Developments in Magnetron Sputtering

The principle of magnetron sputtering is introduced andthe balanced and unbalanced magnetrons are compared andthe necessity of unbalanced magnetrons is explained as well. Several recent developments in plasma magnetron sputtering, i.e., unbalanced magnetron sputtering, pulsed magnetron sputtering and ion assisted sputtering, are discussed. The recent developments of unbalanced magnetron systems and their incorporation with ion sources result in an understanding in growingimportance of the magnetron sputtering technology, which makes the technology an applicable deposition process for a variety of important films, such as wear-resistant films and decorative films.     

磁控溅射制备成分渐变Au/Cu复合涂层的研究

在JGP560型高真空多功能磁控溅射设备上,利用直流磁控溅射法,通过控制共溅射时Au靶和Cu靶的功率变化,在平面基片和微球表面制备了一系列成分渐变的Au/Cu涂层,并用扫描电子显微镜和能量色散X射线荧光光谱仪对涂层的微观结构和成分进行了测试分析。分析结果表明：涂层内部的晶粒生长随Au和Cu含量的变化呈现出3个不同的区域;涂层中Au和Cu含量随涂层厚度的增加呈近线性变化的趋势;涂层内部晶粒之间结合紧密;涂层厚度均匀性良好,表面光洁。     

A SMALL UNBALANCED MAGNETRON SPUTTERING SOURCE WITH MULTIPOLE MAGNETIC FIELD ANODE

A small unbalanced magnetron atom source with multipole cusp magnetic field anode is described.The co-axial magnetron rpinciple is extended to the circular planar magnetron atom source,which raises the efficiency of sputtering target area up to 60%.The multipole magnetic field is put in the anode.which makes the unbalanced magnetron atom source run in a higher discharge current at a lower arc voltage condition.Meanwhile.the sputtering atoms through out the anode can be ionized partially,because the electron reaching the anode have to suffer multiple collisons in order to advance across the multipole magnetic field lines in the anode,which enhances the chemical reactivity of the ejecting atoms in film growth and improve the property of film depositing.     

Frequency dependence of plasma characteristics at different pressures in cylindrical inductively coupled plasma source

The effects of driving frequency on plasma parameters and electron heating efficiency are studied in cylindrical inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source. Measurements are made in an Ar discharge for driving frequency at 13.56/2 MHz, and pressures of 0.4–1.2 Pa. In 13.56 MHz discharge, higher electron density (n_e) and higher electron temperature (T_e) are observed in comparison with 2 MHz discharge at 0.6–1.2 Pa. However, slightly highern_e andT_e are observed in 2 MHz discharge at 0.4 Pa. This observation is explained by enhanced electron heating efficiency due to the resonance between the oscillation of 2 MHz electromagnetic field and electron-neutral collision process at 0.4 Pa. It is also found that the variation ofT_e distribution is different in 13.56 and 2 MHz discharge. For ICP at 13.56 MHz, T_e shows an edge-high profile at 0.4–1.2 Pa. For 2 MHz discharge,T_e remains an edge-high distribution at 0.4–0.8 Pa. However, the distribution pattern involves into a center-high profile at 0.9–1.2 Pa. The spatial profiles ofn_e remain a center-high shape in both 13.56 and 2 MHz discharges, which indicates the nonlocal kinetics at low pressures. Better uniformity could be achieved by using 2 MHz discharge. The effects of gas pressure on plasma parameters are also examined. An increase in gas pressure necessitates the rise ofn_e in both 13.56 and 2 MHz discharges. Meanwhile, T_e drops when gas pressure increases and shows a flatter distribution at higher pressure.     

Comparison of 2D Hybrid Simulational and Experimental Results for Dual-Frequency Capacitively Coupled Argon Plasmas

A two-dimensional hybrid simulation scheme is proposed to study the characteristics of dual-frequency (DF) capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) discharge based on the geometry of real device. Given the experimental parameters for argon plasma, the output from the fluid module such as ion density, number flux, electron temperature and the Monte-Carlo collision (MCC) results of ion energy distribution function (IEDF) as well as electron energy distribution function (EEDF) are obtained and discussed in detail. A novel complete floating double probe is designed to measure both density and temperature of electron and a quadrupole mass spectrometer is also equipped for IEDF investigations. The measurements on the density of bulk plasma, electron temperature and IEDF agree well, qualitatively, with the simulated results. A comparison with experimental results indicates that, since the structure of real device is taken into account, this model is capable of describing the global dynamic characteristics occurred in DF-CCP and presenting more reliable results than the model with an ideal chamber structure.