Double unbalanced magnetron sputtering system used for ion-assisted thin film deposition

✍ Scribed by S Groudeva-Zotova

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 400 KB
• Volume: 51
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0042-207X
• DOI: 10.1016/s0042-207x(98)00144-4

✦ Synopsis

Detailed characterization of a newly developed sputtering system consisting of two symmetrically inclined unbalanced magnetron sputtering devices, to be used for ion-assisted deposition of two component alloy thin films, is made. The working characteristics of the double magnetron system are compared with those of a single magnetron sputtering device with perpendicular geometry and a magnetron with inclined geometry, all of them based on the same unbalanced Sm-Co magnetic assemblage of type II. The experiments were made with Cu targets of 52 mm diam., and 1 mm thickness using Ar at a pressure from 2×10 -3 Torr to 2×10 -2 and for target-substrate distances from 55 mm to 75 mm. The results include the following characteristics of the system : (i) discharge characteristics of the individually and of the simultaneously working magnetrons ; (ii) dependence of the floating potential at isolated substrate and of the currents to grounded and to negatively biased substrate on different parameters of the magnetron discharge ; (iii) homogeneity of the thickness of the deposited films.