AVS 51st International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Monday Sessions
       Session PS2-MoA

Paper PS2-MoA7
Fundamental Aspects on the Sputter Efficiency in High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering

Monday, November 15, 2004, 4:00 pm, Room 213B

Session: Emerging Plasma Applications
Presenter: U. Helmersson, Linköping University, Sweden
Authors: U. Helmersson, Linköping University, Sweden
J. Alami, Linköping University, Sweden
J. Böhlmark, Linköping University, Sweden
M. Lattemann, Linköping University, Sweden
Correspondent: Click to Email
The use of high power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) is an elegant way of producing a large amount of ions from the sputtered materials in magnetron sputtering (MS). HPPMS has great potential in thin film deposition where there is a desire to control direction, lateral distribution, and arrival energy of the depositing species. In this paper we present measurements of the deposition rate using HPPMS and comparing it with normal dc MS. It shows that in general the deposition rate is lower for HPPMS using the same average input power and that the deposition rate scales with the self-sputtering yield of the sputtered material in use. This can be understood in view of the large fraction of ionized metal in the close vicinity of the cathode and that the metal itself will be responsible for a large fraction of the effective sputter ejection of the cathode material. The observed results are also discussed in view of the pulse power and inert gas pressure used.