Effect of radio-frequency substrate bias on ion properties and sputtering behavior of 2 MHz magnetron sputtering

The effect of radio-frequency substrate bias on ion properties and sputtering behavior of 2 MHz magnetron discharge was investigated. The ion velocity distribution function(IVDF), the maximum ion energy and ion flux density were measured at the substrate by a retarding field energy analyzer. The sputtering behavior was investigated by the electric characteristics of target and bias discharges using voltage–current probe technique. It was found that the substrate bias led to the decrease of sputtering power, voltage and current with the amplitude 7.5%. The substrate bias also led to the broadening of IVDFs and the increase of ion flux density, made the energy divergent of ions impacting the substrate. This effect was further enhanced by increasing bias power and reducing discharge pressure.     

Ion property and electrical characteristics of 60 MHz very-high-frequency magnetron discharge at low pressure

The pre-ionized 60 MHz very-high-frequency (VHF) magnetron discharge at low pressure, assisted by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) discharge, was developed. The measurement of ion flux density and ion energy to the substrate was carried out by a retarding field energy analyzer. The electric characteristics of discharge were also investigated by voltage–current probe technique. It was found that by reducing the discharge pressure of VHF magnetron discharge from 5 to 1 Pa, the ion flux density increased about four times, meanwhile the ion energy also increased doubly. The electric characteristics of discharge also showed that a little improvement of sputtering effectiveness was achieved by reducing discharge pressure. Therefore, the deposition property of VHF (60 MHz) magnetron sputtering can be improved by reducing the discharge pressure using the ICP-assisted pre-ionized discharge.     

Control of growth and structure of Ag films by the driving frequency of magnetron sputtering

The growth and structural properties of Ag films prepared by radio-frequency (2,13.56 and 27.12 MHz) and very-high-frequency (40.68 and 60 MHz) magnetron sputtering were investigated.Using 2 MHz sputtering,the Ag film has a high deposition rate,a uniform and smooth surface and a good fcc structure.Using 13.56 and 27.12 MHz sputtering,the Ag films still have a high deposition rate and a good fcc structure,but a non-uniform and coarse surface.Using 40.68 MHz sputtering,the Ag film has a moderate deposition rate and a good fcc structure,but a less smooth surface.Using 60 MHz sputtering,the Ag film has a uniform and smooth surface,but a low deposition rate and a poor fcc structure.The growth and structural properties of Ag films are related to the ions' energy and flux density.Therefore,changing the driving frequency is a good way to control the growth and structure of the Ag films.     

Effect of Internal Antenna Coil Power on the Plasma Parameters in13.56 MHz/60 MHz Dual-Frequency Sputtering

The plasma property of a hybrid ICP/sputtering discharge driven by 13.56 MHz/60 MHz power sources was investigated by Langmuir probe measurement. For the pure sputtering discharge, the low electron density and ion flux, the rise of floating potential and plasma potential with increasing power, as well as the bi-Maxwellian distribution of electron en- ergy distributions （EEDFs） were obtained. The assistance of ICP discharge led to the effective increases of electron density and ion flux, the suppression of rise of floating potential and plasma potential, as well as the change of EEDFs from bi-Maxwellian distribution into Maxwellian dis- tribution. The increase of electron density and ion flux, and the EEDFs evolution were related to the effective electron heating by the induced electric field.     

Growth and structural properties of silicon on Ag films prepared by 40.68 MHz very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering

The growth of silicon on Ag films via 40.68 MHz very-high-frequency (VHF) magnetron sputtering was investigated.The energy distribution and flux density of the ions on the substrate were also measured.The results showed that 40.68 MHz magnetron sputtering can produce ions with higher energy and lower flux density.The impact of these ions onto the grown surface promotes the growth of silicon,which is related to the crystalline nature and rnicrostructure of the underlayer of the Ag films,and there is large particle growth of silicon on Ag films with a preferred orientation of (111),and two-dimensional growth of silicon on Ag films with a better face-centered cubic structure.     

Effect of gas pressure on ion energy at substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency and very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering discharge

The effect of gas pressure on ion energy distribution at the substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency (RF) and very-high-frequency (VHF) magnetron sputtering discharge was investigated. At lower pressure, the evolution of maximum ion energy (E) with discharge voltage (V) varied with the excitation frequency, due to the joint contribution of the ion generation in the bulk plasma and the ion movement across the sheath related to the ion transit sheath time τi and RF period τ_RF. At higher pressure, the evolution of E–V relationships did not vary with the excitation frequency, due to the balance between the energy lost through collisions and the energy gained by acceleration in the electric field. Therefore, for RF and VHF magnetron discharge, lower gas pressure can have a clear influence on the E–V relationship.     

Frequency dependence of plasma characteristics at different pressures in cylindrical inductively coupled plasma source

The effects of driving frequency on plasma parameters and electron heating efficiency are studied in cylindrical inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source. Measurements are made in an Ar discharge for driving frequency at 13.56/2 MHz, and pressures of 0.4–1.2 Pa. In 13.56 MHz discharge, higher electron density (n_e) and higher electron temperature (T_e) are observed in comparison with 2 MHz discharge at 0.6–1.2 Pa. However, slightly highern_e andT_e are observed in 2 MHz discharge at 0.4 Pa. This observation is explained by enhanced electron heating efficiency due to the resonance between the oscillation of 2 MHz electromagnetic field and electron-neutral collision process at 0.4 Pa. It is also found that the variation ofT_e distribution is different in 13.56 and 2 MHz discharge. For ICP at 13.56 MHz, T_e shows an edge-high profile at 0.4–1.2 Pa. For 2 MHz discharge,T_e remains an edge-high distribution at 0.4–0.8 Pa. However, the distribution pattern involves into a center-high profile at 0.9–1.2 Pa. The spatial profiles ofn_e remain a center-high shape in both 13.56 and 2 MHz discharges, which indicates the nonlocal kinetics at low pressures. Better uniformity could be achieved by using 2 MHz discharge. The effects of gas pressure on plasma parameters are also examined. An increase in gas pressure necessitates the rise ofn_e in both 13.56 and 2 MHz discharges. Meanwhile, T_e drops when gas pressure increases and shows a flatter distribution at higher pressure.     

脉冲偏压对贫铀表面磁控溅射离子镀铝结合强度的影响

采用磁控溅射离子镀技术在不同偏压下于贫铀表面制备铝镀层，用扫描电镜和俄歇电子能谱仪对镀层形貌和界面元素分布进行分析，用拉伸法对镀层的结合强度进行测定。结果表明：在-900V脉冲偏压下所得镀层与铀基体结合良好，镀层与基体之间存在较为明显的“伪扩散区”；与直流偏压相比较，脉冲偏压所得镀层结合强度明显增强，镀层的致密性显著改善。     

Experimental Study of the Effect of Applied Magnetic Field on Plasma Properties of Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering

An experimental study of the effect of applied magnetic field on the properties of the plasma and electrostatic oscillations in an unbalanced magnetron sputtering discharge was carried out. The apparatus consists of a magnetron sputtering target, using the conventional magnetic field configuration, and a coaxial coil around the target for an applied axial magnetic field. The dependencies of plasma parameters on the coil current were studied by two Langmuir probes. The resonance properties of electrostatic oscillations were observed. The results indicate that the applied magnetic field affects the plasma properties for the coil current in a range of 0 to 8 A. The frequency bandwidth of the electrostatic oscillations in the unbalanced magnetron sputtering plasma is in a range of 0 to 300 kHz. From the spectrum analysis, the eigenfrequency near the target is in a range of 20 to 50 kHz under typical experimental conditions where all the magnetic field, pressure, and power etc are able to have full impact on the spectrum characteristics. The calculated value of the electron temperature as per an ion acoustic standing wave pattern inside the magnetic trap is in good agreement with the experimental result.     

Development of a helicon-wave excited plasma facility with high magnetic field for plasma-wall interactions studies

The high magnetic field helicon experiment system is a helicon wave plasma(HWP)source device in a high axial magnetic field(B_0)developed for plasma–wall interactions studies for fusion reactors.This HWP was realized at low pressure(5?×?10~(-3)?-?10 Pa)and a RF(radio frequency,13.56 MHz)power(maximum power of 2 k W)using an internal right helical antenna(5 cm in diameter by 18 cm long)with a maximum B_0of 6300 G.Ar HWP with electron density~10~(18)–10~(20)m~(-3)and electron temperature~4–7 e V was produced at high B_0 of 5100 G,with an RF power of 1500 W.Maximum Ar~+ion flux of 7.8?×?10~(23)m~(-2)s~(-1)with a bright blue core plasma was obtained at a high B_0 of 2700 G and an RF power of 1500 W without bias.Plasma energy and mass spectrometer studies indicate that Ar~+ion-beams of 40.1 eV are formed,which are supersonic(~3.1c_s).The effect of Ar HWP discharge cleaning on the wall conditioning are investigated by using the mass spectrometry.And the consequent plasma parameters will result in favorable wall conditioning with a removal rate of 1.1?×?10~(24)N_2/m~2 h.     

Influence of low-energy bombardment of an RF magnetron sputtering discharge on texture formation and stress in ZnO films

In an oxygen planar RF magnetron sputtering discharge, the time-averaged flux and energy of positive ions drifting out of the plasma and striking the substrate surface have been determined as a function of RF discharge power over a range of 100 to 1000 W, and as a function of chamber pressure from 0.2 to 6 Pa by measurement of ion-current density and time-averaged plasma sheath potential at the substrate. These data were related to the resulting crystal structure of the deposited ZnO films which had been studied in detail using well-known methods of X-ray diffraction. The impact energy of the positive ions bombarding the growing film varies from some 10 eV to close 50 eV depending on magnetron RF discharge power and oxygen pressure, respectively. The incident ion flux was found to be below 1× 10¹⁵ cm⁻²s⁻¹ up to 1 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻²s⁻¹, a value of the same order of magnitude as that for the condensing rate of sputtered ZnO species. The structural results obtained show that both the ion energy and the ion flux in the range mentioned above cause significant changes in the degree of crystallinity, preferred orientation and texture sharpness of the deposited ZnO films. Furthermore, positive ion bombardment during film growth has been found to alter the ZnO unit cell dimension up to 2% relative to the equilibrium bulk or powder value which is responsible for the formation of strong compressive residual stress of up to several GPa within the ZnO film. Following these results, one of the criterions for preparing highly c-axis oriented ZnO films with columnar grain structure is to decrease both the energy and the flux of the positive ion bombardment without decreasing the deposition rate of ZnO species. At a such slight-bombardment RF magnetron deposition the compressive residual stress of the ZnO film can be reduced towards zero.     

Erosion of tungsten-doped amorphous carbon films in oxygen plasma

Tungsten-doped amorphous carbon films with 0–9 at.% W concentration were produced by magnetron sputtering and eroded in oxygen plasmas applying different bias voltages and substrate temperatures. The partial C and W erosion rates were determined from the C and W areal density changes measured by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). The initial C removal rate increases with increasing ion energy and temperature and decreases with increasing W concentration. For W-doped films the erosion rate decreases with increasing plasma exposure duration. At low bias voltages the erosion process stops after W accumulation at the surface, which protects the carbon underneath from further erosion. RBS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggest that the W-rich layer at the surface is carbon free and consists of porous WO₃. Biasing to 200 V leads to removal of W by physical sputtering and, therefore, inhibits the formation of the protecting W oxide layer and the C erosion proceeds.     

Magnetic probe diagnostics of nonlinear standing waves and bulk ohmic electron power absorption in capacitive discharges

It is recognized that standing wave effects appearing in large-area,very-high-frequency capacitively coupled plasma(CCP)reactors cause center-high plasma non-uniformity.Using a high-frequency magnetic probe,we present a direct experimental diagnostic of the nonlinear standing waves and bulk ohmic electron power absorption dynamics in low pressure CCP discharges for different driving frequencies of 13.56,30,and 60 MHz.The design,principle,calibration,and validation of the probe are described in detail.Spatial structures of the harmonics of the magnetic field,determined by the magnetic probe,were used to calculate the distributions of the harmonic current and the corresponding ohmic electron power deposition,providing insights into the behavior of nonlinear harmonics.At a low driving frequency,i.e.13.56 MHz,no remarkable nonlinear standing waves were identified and the bulk ohmic electron power absorption was observed to be negligible.The harmonic magnetic field/current was found to increase dramatically with the driving frequency,due to decreased sheath reactance and more remarkable nonlinear standing waves at a higher driving frequency,leading to the enhancements of the ohmic heating and the plasma density in the bulk,specifically at the electrode center.At a high driving frequency,i.e.60 MHz,the high-order harmonic current density and the corresponding ohmic electron power absorption exhibited a similar node structure,with the main peak on axis,and one or more minor peaks between the electrode center and the edge,contributing to the center-high profile of the plasma density.     

Diagnosing the Fine Structure of Electron Energy Within the ECRIT Ion Source

The ion source of the electron cyclotron resonance ion thruster(ECRIT) extracts ions from its ECR plasma to generate thrust, and has the property of low gas consumption(2 sccm,standard-state cubic centimeter per minute) and high durability. Due to the indispensable effects of the primary electron in gas discharge, it is important to experimentally clarify the electron energy structure within the ion source of the ECRIT through analyzing the electron energy distribution function(EEDF) of the plasma inside the thruster. In this article the Langmuir probe diagnosing method was used to diagnose the EEDF, from which the effective electron temperature, plasma density and the electron energy probability function(EEPF) were deduced. The experimental results show that the magnetic field influences the curves of EEDF and EEPF and make the effective plasma parameter nonuniform. The diagnosed electron temperature and density from sample points increased from 4 eV/2×10~(16)m~(-3) to 10 eV/4×10~(16)m(-3) with increasing distances from both the axis and the screen grid of the ion source. Electron temperature and density peaking near the wall coincided with the discharge process. However, a double Maxwellian electron distribution was unexpectedly observed at the position near the axis of the ion source and about 30 mm from the screen grid. Besides, the double Maxwellian electron distribution was more likely to emerge at high power and a low gas flow rate. These phenomena were believed to relate to the arrangements of the gas inlets and the magnetic field where the double Maxwellian electron distribution exits. The results of this research may enhance the understanding of the plasma generation process in the ion source of this type and help to improve its performance.     

Analysis of charge-exchanged neutral particles during IBW heating in the HT-7 tokamak

The charge-exchange neutral particles fluxes and energy distribution in IBW heated plasma were investigated in the HT-7 tokamak. The RF frequency was 30 MHz and with an injecting power up to 200 kW. It is observed that the plasma performance is obviously enhanced by IBW heating. The electron temperature was increased by 0.5 keV and the central line averaged electron density was doubled. The neutral particle fluxes of high-energy increased and the bulk ions were heated during IBW heating. The ion temperature was increased by 0.3 keV and the ion heating efficiency of (2–3) eV kW⁻¹ × 10¹³ cm⁻³ was achieved. The velocity distribution of charge-exchanged neutral particles appears to be Maxwellian without high-energy tail ions up to the maximum RF power.     

Ions Bombardment in Thin Films and Surface Processing

Ions bombardment is very important in thin films and surface processing.The ion energy and ion flux are two improtant parameters in ion bombardment.The ion current density mainly dependent on the plasma density gives the number of energetic ions bombarding the substrate.The self-bias voltage in plasma sheath accelerates plasma ions towards the substrate.RF discharge can increase plasma density and RF bias can also provide the insulator substrate with a plasma sheath.In order to choose and control ion energy,ion density,the angle of incidence,and ion species,ion beam sources are used.New types of electrodeless ion sources(RF,MW,ECR-MW) have been introduced in detail,In the last,the effects of ion bombardment on thin films and surface processing are presented.     

Diagnostic of capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma from electrical discharge characteristics: comparison with optical emission spectroscopy and fluid model simulation

The capacitively coupled radio frequency(CCRF)plasma has been widely used in various fields.In some cases,it requires us to estimate the range of key plasma parameters simpler and quicker in order to understand the behavior in plasma.In this paper,a glass vacuum chamber and a pair of plate electrodes were designed and fabricated,using 13.56 MHz radio frequency(RF)discharge technology to ionize the working gas of Ar.This discharge was mathematically described with equivalent circuit model.The discharge voltage and current of the plasma were measured atdifferent pressures and different powers.Based on the capacitively coupled homogeneous discharge model,the equivalent circuit and the analytical formula were established.The plasma density and temperature were calculated by using the equivalent impedance principle and energy balance equation.The experimental results show that when RF discharge power is 50–300 W and pressure is 25–250 Pa,the average electron temperature is about 1.7–2.1 e V and the average electron density is about 0.5?×?10~(17)–3.6?×?10~(17)m~(-3).Agreement was found when the results were compared to those given by optical emission spectroscopy and COMSOL simulation.     

Comparative Study of Plasma Parameters in Magnetic Pole Enhanced Inductively Coupled Argon Plasmas

Langmuir probe measurements of radio frequency (RF) magnetic pole enhanced inductively coupled (MaPE-ICP) argon plasma were accomplished to obtain the electron number densities and electron temperatures. The measurements were carried out with a fixed RF frequency of 13.56 MHz in a pressure range of 7.5 mTorr to 75 mTorr at an applied RF power of 10 W and 100 W. These results are compared with a global (volume average) model. The results show good agreement between theoretical and experimental measurements. The electron number density shows an increasing trend with both RF power and pressure while the electron temperature shows decreasing trend as the pressure increases. The difference in the plasma potential and floating potential as a function of electron temperature measured from the electrical probe and that obtained theoretically shows a linear relation with a small difference in the coefficient of proportionality. The intensity of the emission line at 750.4 nm due to 2p 1 → 1s 2 (Paschen’s notation) transition closely follows the variation of n e with RF power and filling gas pressure. Measured electron energy probability function (EEPF) shows that electron occupation changes mostly in the high-energy tail, which highlights close similarity of 750.4 nm argon line to n e .     

On peak current in atmospheric pulse-modulated microwave discharges by the PIC-MCC model

Pulse modulation provides a new way to tailor the electron density,electron energy and gas temperature in atmospheric radio-frequency (rf) discharges.In this paper,by increasing the rf frequency to several hundreds of MHz,or even much higher to the range of GHz,a very strong peak current in the first period (PCFP) with much larger electron energy can be formed during cthe power-on phase,which is not observed in the common pulse modulation discharges at a rf frequency of 13.56 MHz.The PIC-MCC model is explored to unveil the generation mechanism of PCFP,and based on the simulation data a larger voltage increasing rate over a quarter of a period and the distribution of electron density just before the power-on phase are believed to play key roles;the PCFP is usually produced in the rnicroplasma regime driven by the pulsed power supply.The effects of duty cycle and pulse modulation frequency on the evolution of PCFP are also discussed from the computational data.Therefore,the duty cycle and pulse modulation frequency can be used to optimize the generation of PCFP and high-energy electrons.     

Experimental investigation of the electromagnetic effect and improvement of the plasma radial uniformity in a large-area,very-high frequency capacitive argon discharge

We performed an experimental investigation on the electromagnetic effect and the plasma radial uniformity in a larger-area, cylindrical capacitively coupled plasma reactor. By utilizing a floating hairpin probe, dependences of the plasma radial density on the driving frequency and the radio-frequency power over a wide pressure range of 5–40 Pa were presented. At a relatively low frequency(LF, e.g. 27 MHz), an evident peak generally appears near the electrode edge for all pressures investigated here due to the edge field effect, while at a very high frequency(VHF, e.g.60 or 100 MHz), the plasma density shows a sharp peak at the discharge center at lower pressures, indicating a strong standing wave effect. As the RF power increases, the center-peak structure of plasma density becomes more evident. With increasing the pressure, the standing wave effect is gradually overwhelmed by the ‘stop band' effect, resulting in a transition in the plasma density profile from a central peak to an edge peak. To improve the plasma radial uniformity, a LF source is introduced into the VHF plasma by balancing the standing wave effect with the edge effect. A much better plasma uniformity can be obtained if one chooses appropriate LF powers, pressures and other corresponding discharge parameters.