Publication details
Enhancing the ionized metal flux fraction in industrial conditions
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | This work presents a significant enhancement of the ionized metal flux fraction (IMFF) during direct current magnetron sputtering using lateral glow discharge (LGD). A biasable quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and Langmuir probe measuring saturated ionic current were utilized for the measurement. The experiments were conducted in the industrial DRAK sputtering system developed by the SHM company equipped with a cathode utilizing a titanium cylindrical rotating target with a racetrack area of approx. 100 cm2. The sputtering cathode was positioned in the central door position and was sputtering onto the carousel sample holder. Additionally, two electrodes for the LGD situated on the left and right from the magnetron cathode, all in the door positions, were creating a supplementary discharge in front of the magnetron. Biased QCM and Langmuir probe were fitted onto the carousel facing the magnetron sputtering source. A systematical study with varying pressure, power on magnetron and current through LGD was conducted. Results show that for 20kW DC on the magnetron, 12% of IMFF on the substrate position is reached, a value that is in direct contrast to the generally assumed low single percent. This is achieved via high current density and very efficient cooling of the sputtering cathode. With additional LGD, this value increases to 23%, which is extremely high, comparable to high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) technology. Additionally, it was found that IMFF enhancement through the LGD is more efficient the higher the pressure in the chamber. |
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