61st Annual Gaseous Electronics Conference
Volume 53, Number 10
Monday–Friday, October 13–17, 2008;
Dallas, Texas
Session CT3: Magnetically-Enhanced and Related Plasmas
10:00 AM–11:45 AM,
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Room: Addison Room
Chair: Pascal Chabert, CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, France
Abstract ID: BAPS.2008.GEC.CT3.3
Abstract: CT3.00003 : On the Plasma Parameters in the High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering Discharge (HiPIMS)
10:30 AM–11:00 AM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
Jon T. Gudmundsson
(University of Iceland)
The development of ionized physical vapor deposition (IPVD) was
mainly driven by the formation of metal and nitride thin films
into deep, narrow trenches and vias that are essential in modern
microelectronics. More recently, the control of the ion energy
and direction of the deposition species has proved to be an
important physical tool in the growth process of new materials
and new structures. Over the past few years, various ionized
sputtering techniques have appeared that show a high degree of
ionization of the sputtered atoms, in the range 50 -- 90\%
\footnote{U. Helmersson, M. Latteman, J. Bohlmark, A.
P. Ehiasarian, and J. T. Gudmundsson, Thin Solid Films {\bf
513}(2006) 1-24}. This
is often achieved by the application of a secondary discharge to
a magnetron sputtering discharge, either inductively coupled
plasma source (ICP-MS) or a microwave amplified magnetron
sputtering. High power impulse magnetron sputtering
(HiPIMS) is a more recent sputtering technique that utilizes
ionized physical vapor deposition (IPVD) \footnote{U. Helmersson,
M. Lattemann, J. Alami, J. Bohlmark, A.P. Ehiasarian, and J.T.
Gudmundsson, Proceedings of the 48th Annual Technical Conference
of the Society of Vacuum Coaters, April 23-28, 2005, Denver, CO,
USA, p.458}. High density plasma is
created by applying a high power pulses to a conventional planar
magnetron sputtering discharge. The pulse power density is in the
range 1 -- 3 kW/cm$^2$, the pulse frequency 50 -- 500 Hz and
pulse length 50 -- 500 $\mu$s. Measurements of the temporal and
spatial behavior of the plasma parameters indicate peak electron
density of the order of 10$^{19}$ m$^{-3}$, that
expands from the target with a fixed velocity that depends on the
gas pressure \footnote{J.T. Gudmundsson, J. Alami, and U.
Helmersson, Surf. Coat.
Technol. {\bf 161} (2002) 249 - 256}. The high electron density
results in a high degree of ionization of the deposition
material. Fractional ionization of the sputtered material has
been measured to be over
90\% \footnote{J. Bohlmark, J. Alami, C. Christou, A. P.
Ehiasarian and U. Helmersson, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. {\bf 23}
(2005), 18-22}. This is important since ions are controllable
with respect to energy and direction as they arrive to the growth
surface. The spatial and temporal variation of the plasma
parameters, electron density, plasma potential, and electron and
ion energy, in a HiPIMS discharge are explored. The plasma
physics of the HiPIMS will be discussed as well as some of the
applications of the HiPIMS technique.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2008.GEC.CT3.3