A two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation with a curved-boundary field solver makes it possible to investigate the target erosion effects in a direct current magnetron sputtering system. The correlation between the ion flux deformation and the sputtering yield profile for the eroded target has been investigated, considering the ion energy and angle distributions. It was found that the sputtering yield profile does not change abruptly, although the ion flux profile changes sensitively with the increase in the erosion depth. The criteria for the judgment of the critical erosion depth are provided based on the sputtering yield profile.

Improving the target erosion uniformity in a commercial direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering system is a crucial issue in terms of process management as well as enhancing the properties of the deposited film. Especially, nonuniform target erosion was reported when the magnetic flux density gradient existed. A two-dimensional (2D) and a three-dimensional (3D) parallelized particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation were performed to investigate relationships between magnetic fields and the target erosion profile. The 2D PIC simulation presents the correlation between the heating mechanism and the spatial density profiles under various magnet conditions. In addition, the 3D PIC simulation shows the different plasma characteristics depending on the azimuthal asymmetry of the magnets and the mechanism of the mutual competition of the E × B drift and the grad-B drift for the change in the electron density uniformity.