Dependence of the sticking coefficient of sputtered atoms on the target–substrate distance

Mahieu, Stijn; Aeken, K. Van; Depla, Diederik; Smeets, Dries; Vantomme, André

doi:10.1088/0022-3727/41/15/152005

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Based on the sticking coefficients for N and Ti atoms, information can be obtained on the stoichiometry of the deposited TiN x film. Assuming a sticking coefficient of 1 for N atoms,16 and of 0.5 for Ti atoms,18 the fluxes presented in Figure 6b would give rise to a stoichiometry x much larger than one. However, in ref.…”

Section: Particle‐in‐cell–monte Carlo Collisions (Pic‐mcc) Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computer Modeling of Plasmas and Plasma‐Surface Interactions

Bogaerts

Bultinck

Eckert

et al. 2009

Plasma Processes & Polymers

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In this paper, an overview is given of different modeling approaches used for describing gas discharge plasmas, as well as plasma‐surface interactions. A fluid model is illustrated for describing the detailed plasma chemistry in capacitively coupled rf discharges. The strengths and limitations of Monte Carlo simulations and of a particle‐in‐cell–Monte Carlo collisions model are explained for a magnetron discharge, whereas the capabilities of a hybrid Monte Carlo–fluid approach are illustrated for a direct current glow discharge used for spectrochemical analysis of materials. Finally, some examples of molecular dynamics simulations, for the purpose of plasma‐deposition, are given.

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Section: Particle‐in‐cell–monte Carlo Collisions (Pic‐mcc) Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Computer Modeling of Plasmas and Plasma‐Surface Interactions

Bogaerts

Bultinck

Eckert

et al. 2009

Plasma Processes & Polymers

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“…A useful qualitative indication of whether variations in sticking coefficient affect the film composition is that such variations result 28 in a temperature-dependent, but not pressure-dependent, film composition. (This "rule of thumb", however, is not necessarily always valid [128], and should be used with some skepticism.) For MAX phases, evaporative loss of the A element during thin-film growth has been observed in several MAX-phase systems.…”

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confidence: 99%

The M+1AX phases: Materials science and thin-film processing

et al. 2010

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This article is a critical review of the M n+1 AX n phases ("MAX phases", where n =1, 2, or 3) from a materials science perspective. MAX phases are a class of hexagonal-structure ternary carbides and nitrides ("X") of a transition metal ("M") and an A-group element. The most well known are Ti 2 AlC, Ti 3 SiC 2 , and Ti 4 AlN 3 . There are ~60 MAX phases with at least 9 discovered in the last five years alone. What makes the MAX phases fascinating and potentially useful is their remarkable combination of chemical, physical, electrical, and mechanical properties, which in many ways combine the characteristics of metals and ceramics. For example, MAX phases are typically resistant to oxidation and corrosion, elastically stiff, but at the same time they exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivities and are machinable. These properties stem from an inherently nanolaminated crystal structure, with M n+1 X n slabs intercalated with pure A-element layers. The research on MAX phases has been accelerated by the introduction of thin-film processing methods.Magnetron sputtering and arc deposition have been employed to synthesize single-crystal material by epitaxial growth, which enables studies of fundamental materials properties. However, the surface-initiated decomposition of M n+1 AX n thin films into MX compounds at temperatures of 1000-1100 °C is much lower than the decomposition temperatures typically reported for the corresponding bulk material. We also review the prospects for low-temperature synthesis, which is essential for deposition of MAX phases onto technologically important substrates. While deposition of MAX phases from the archetypical Ti-Si-C and Ti-Al-N systems typically require synthesis temperatures of ~800 °C, recent results have demonstrated that V 2 GeC and Cr 2 AlC can be deposited at ~450 °C. Also, thermal spray of Ti 2 AlC powder has been used to produce thick coatings. We further treat progress in the use of first-principles calculations for predicting hypothetical MAX phases and their properties. Together with advances in processing and materials 3 analysis, this progress has led to recent discoveries of numerous new MAX phases such as Ti 4 SiC 3 , Ta 4 AlC 3 , and Ti 3 SnC 2 . Finally, important future research directions are discussed. These include charting the unknown regions in phase diagrams to discover new equilibrium and metastable phases, as well as research challenges in understanding their physical properties, such as the effects of anisotropy, impurities, and vacancies on the electrical properties, and unexplored properties such as superconductivity, magnetism, and optics. 4

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“…The ion‐to‐atom ratio increases when the N 2 flow is increased at constant C . This is mainly due to a lower atom flux towards the substrate as a higher N 2 flow will increase the degree of target poisoning 14, 15. The decrease in ion‐to‐atom ratio at constant N 2 flow when C deviates from 6.28 can be explained by the increase in discharge voltage discussed in 3.1 and the resulting increased deposition rate from 3.2.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the magnetic field configuration on the reactive sputter deposition of TiN

Boydens

Mahieu

Haemers

et al. 2010

Physica Status Solidi (a)

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A conventional 2 inch planar, circular magnetron has been designed allowing an in situ variation of the magnetic field configuration, i.e. the distance of the peripheral magnet ring and central magnet cylinder to the target could be varied independently from each other. The development of this kind of magnetron allows us to investigate the influence of the strength and shape of the magnetic field on the growth of TiN films. Such TiN films were deposited on grounded stainless steel substrates by sputtering a pure Ti target in a mixture of Ar and N2. The influence of the N2 flow and the magnetic field configuration on the crystallographic orientation of the deposited films has been investigated. At similar conditions, the influence of the magnetic field configuration and N2 flow on the discharge voltage, deposition rate and the ion flux towards the substrate has been investigated. No clear relationship between the ion‐to‐atom ratio and the crystallographic orientation has been observed.

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Dependence of the sticking coefficient of sputtered atoms on the target–substrate distance

Cited by 26 publications

References 22 publications

Computer Modeling of Plasmas and Plasma‐Surface Interactions

Computer Modeling of Plasmas and Plasma‐Surface Interactions

The M+1AX phases: Materials science and thin-film processing

Influence of the magnetic field configuration on the reactive sputter deposition of TiN

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