Comparative study of discharge characteristics and associated film growth for post-cathode and inverted cylindrical magnetron sputtering

In this study, an experimental investigation of a DC cylindrical magnetron discharge for argon gas in post-cathode (i.e. direct) and hollow-cathode (i.e. inverted) configurations was carried out. The discharge properties at different externally applied magnetic fields and operating pressures were me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pramāṇa 2019-04, Vol.92 (4), p.1-9, Article 55
Main Authors: Rane, R, Joshi, A, Akkireddy, S, Mukherjee, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anodes
Argon
Astronomy
Astrophysics and Astroparticles
Cathode sputtering
Comparative studies
Configurations
Discharge
Electron energy
Film growth
Ionization
Magnetic fields
Magnetic properties
Magnetron sputtering
Morphology
Observations and Techniques
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Plasma
Plasma density
Thin films
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Summary:In this study, an experimental investigation of a DC cylindrical magnetron discharge for argon gas in post-cathode (i.e. direct) and hollow-cathode (i.e. inverted) configurations was carried out. The discharge properties at different externally applied magnetic fields and operating pressures were measured and compared for both the configurations. The discharge current ( I )–voltage ( V ) characteristics obey I ∝ V n , where the value of n is in the range of 3–8. The discharge current increases linearly with the magnetic field in the post-cathode configuration, whereas it saturates at higher magnetic fields in the case of inverted configuration. Measurement of plasma potential indicated a considerable anode fall in the inverted magnetron configuration, whereas a negligible anode fall and strong cathode fall were observed in the case of post-cathode configuration. The plasma density and electron temperature, measured using a double Langmuir probe, were observed to be higher in the inverted magnetron configuration. The plasma density was found to be maximum at around 3–4 cm away from the respective inner electrode in both the configurations. A clear change in surface morphology of copper thin film was observed in the case of inverted magnetron configuration, which might be due to the extra ionisation near the anode owing to the anode fall.
ISSN:0304-4289
0973-7111
DOI:10.1007/s12043-018-1711-1