AVS 56th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Advanced Surface Engineering Monday Sessions
       Session SE2-MoM

Paper SE2-MoM4
Effects of the Working Pressure and Pulse Parameters on the Ion Energy and Mass Distributions in Modulated Pulse Power Sputtering Plasma

Monday, November 9, 2009, 9:20 am, Room C4

Session: Pulsed Plasmas in Surface Engineering
Presenter: W.D. Sproul, Reactive Sputtering, Inc.
Authors: W.D. Sproul, Reactive Sputtering, Inc.
J. Lin, Colorado School of Mines
J.J. Moore, Colorado School of Mines
B. Mishra, Colorado School of Mines
J.A. Rees, Hiden Analytical Ltd, UK
Z.L. Wu, Colorado School of Mines
J. Wang, Colorado School of Mines
R. Chistyakov, Zond/Zpulser
B. Abraham, Zond/Zpulser
Correspondent: Click to Email
The modulated pulse power (MPP) sputtering technique is a variation of high power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) that generates a high ionization density plasma by manipulating the pulse shape, intensity, and duration. In this study, the time-averaged ion energy and ion mass distributions of the MPP plasma generated during sputtering a metal Cr target in pure Ar at different working pressures, pulse frequencies, and the strong ionization periods were investigated. The MPP plasma was studied using an electrostatic quadrupole plasma mass spectrometer which was installed parallel to the target surface in a closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. It was found that an increase in the working pressure led to an increase in the peak ion flux and a decrease in the high ion energy tail. An increase in both the gas and metal ion species was observed as the pulse frequency was increased using the same pulse shape. Additionally, the effects of different combinations of the weak and strong ionization durations on the ion energy distributions of the gas and metal ion species will be reported.