AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Advanced Surface Engineering Division Thursday Sessions
       Session SE+PS+SS-ThM

Invited Paper SE+PS+SS-ThM1
Key Features of Reactive High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering

Thursday, November 2, 2017, 8:00 am, Room 11

Session: Plasma-assisted Surface Modification and Deposition Processes
Presenter: Daniel Lundin, CNRS/Paris-Sud University, France
Correspondent: Click to Email
For many thin film applications, such as optical coatings, energy-related coatings, hard coatings, etc., the coated layers are not single metal thin films, but rather compound coatings obtained from at least one metal (e.g. Al, Ti) or a non-metal (e.g. C, B) and a reactive gas (e.g. O2, N2). This talk will address the challenges and possibilities of depositing compound coatings using a promising thin film deposition technology called high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS), and how this method differs from conventional processes. Both nitride and oxide systems will be covered during different modes of operation including pure argon, metallic, transition, and compound modes. Key features in reactive HiPIMS, such as eliminated/reduced hysteresis, stable high-rate deposition in the transition mode, and self-sputter recycling versus working gas recycling, will be addressed by using results from recent plasma process modelling in combination with experimental plasma characterization. Ionization of the material flux will be discussed in detail, since it enables effective surface modification via ion etching and self-ion assistance during film growth, as well as being a key feature in HiPIMS. This includes exploring the temporal evolution of the discharge plasma parameters, such as electron density and temperature, the neutral and ion composition, the ionization fraction of the sputtered vapor as well as of the reactive gas mixture, and the composition of the discharge current. The focus will be on identifying dominating physical and chemical reactions in the plasma and on the surfaces of the reactor affecting the plasma chemistry.