The total energy flux in a high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) plasma has been measured using thermal probes. Radial flux (parallel to the magnetron surface) as well as axial flux (perpendicular to the magnetron surface) were measured at different positions, and resulting energy flux profiles for the region between the magnetron and the substrate are presented. It was found that the substrate heating is reduced in the HiPIMS process compared to conventional direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) at the same average power. On the other hand, the energy flux per deposited particle is higher for HiPIMS compared to DCMS, when taking into account the lower deposition rate for pulsed sputtering. This is most likely due to the highly energetic species present in the HiPIMS plasma. Furthermore, the heating due to radial energy flux reached as much as 60 % of the axial energy flux, which is likely a result of the anomalous transport of charged species present in the HiPIMS discharge. Finally, the experimental results were compared to theoretical calculations on energy flux of charged species, and they were found to be in good agreement.

A calorimetric probe for plasma diagnostics is presented, which allows measurements of the power taken by a test substrate. The substrate can be biased and used as an electric probe in order to obtain information about the composition of the total heating power. A new calibration technique for calorimetric probes, which uses monoenergetic electrons at low pressure, has been developed for an improved accuracy. The use of the probe is exemplified with an experiment where both energetic neutral atoms and ions heat the test substrate.

Two different diagnostics for the determination of the energy influx in plasma processes were used to characterize an ion beam source and an asymmetric RF discharge. The related energy fluxes were measured in dependence on the ion energy and on the RF power, respectively. The first sensor, called HFM (Heat Flux Microsensor) is a thermopile which allows for direct energy flux measurements. With the second sensor, a calorimetric probe, the energy influx has been calculated from the temporal temperature evolution preliminary registered. Although the working principle of both sensors is different, the obtained results are in good agreement. In the ion beam ( < 1,5keV)) rather high energy influxes are achieved (up to 700mW/cm²), whereas the values measured in the asymmetric RF discharge were lower than 50mW/cm² for discharge powers in the range of 10 to 100 W. The performances and limitations of both sensors are compared and discussed.

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The total energy flux for an RF plasma (13.56 MHz) has been measured by means of a simple thermal probe. The procedure is based on the measurement of time dependent changes of the probe temperature during the plasma process. A substrate dummy which is thermally isolated and inserted into the plasma at substrate position served as thermal probe which can be moved in vertical and horizontal directions in order to measure the different energy fluxes and their distribution in the reactor vessel. The knowledge of the spatial distribution is important, for example, for coating or sputtering processes. Different contributions to the total energy flux are identified by different orientations of the thermal probe, e.g., if the probe is facing the RF electrode the energy flux is much higher than in the opposite direction. This difference can be addressed to an additional energetic contribution due to secondary electron emission from the powered RF electrode.