Influence of high power densities on the composition of pulsed magnetron plasmas

Ehiasarian, Arutiun P.; New, R.; Münz, W.‐D.; Hultman, Lars; Helmersson, Ulf; Kouznetsov, V. M.

doi:10.1016/s0042-207x(01)00475-4

Cited by 275 publications

(166 citation statements)

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“…has the advantages of both sputtering and cathodic arc deposition, but without their respective disadvantages. The high-power pulses applied to the target yield a highly ionized deposition flux similar to that obtained in cathodic arc 31 deposition [156,157,158,159,160,161]. Thus, HIPIMS allows control of the deposition flux and the ion-energy distribution through applied electric and magnetic fields [162], like cathodic arc deposition.…”

Section: High-power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (Hipims)mentioning

confidence: 87%

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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Section: High-power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (Hipims)mentioning

confidence: 87%

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

et al. 2010

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“…In the HiPIMS case, unipolar pulses with a length (t ON ) of 35 µs and a frequency between 1 kHz to 10 kHz were used supplied by a SPIK 1000 A pulsing unit fed by the MDX generator. These relatively short pulse lengths were employed to minimize the probability for the occurrence of arcing during the process [18]. The discharge voltage was adjusted as the reactive gas flow was varied in order to keep the average power delivered to the target constant.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To rule out the possibility that the observed behavior is specific for Al and O system, another set of experiments was carried out using a Ce target. The deposition rate was not monitored in this particular experiment and DCMS and HiPIMS (frequencies of A typical feature of the HiPIMS process is the relatively high peak target current which results in depletion (rarefaction) of neutral species in the vicinity of the target [18][19][20][21]. The rarefaction affects not only the Ar but also the reactive gas species [12,15].…”

Section: Process Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The observed behavior has been attributed to several mechanisms, i.e. depletion of reactive gas in front of the target during the pulse ontime [13,15,16] (referred to as gas rarefaction [17][18][19][20][21]), limited target oxidation during the pulse off-time [13], and higher target erosion rate due to the higher target voltage used in HiPIMS as compared to DCMS [14]. However, the question regarding the origin of the process stabilization in reactive HiPIMS still remains.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hysteresis and process stability in reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering of metal oxides

et al. 2011

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In the further development of reactive sputter deposition, strategies which allow for stabilization of the transition zone between the metallic and compound modes, elimination of the process hysteresis, and increase of the deposition rate, are of particular interest. In this study, the hysteresis behavior and the characteristics of the transition zone during reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) of Al and Ce targets in an Ar-O 2 atmosphere as a function of the pulsing frequency and the pumping speed are investigated.Comparison with reactive direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) reveals that HiPIMS allows for suppression/elimination of the hysteresis and a smoother transition from the metallic to the compound sputtering mode. For the experimental conditions employed in the present study, optimum behavior with respect to the hysteresis width is obtained at frequency values between 2 and 4 kHz, while HiPIMS processes with values below or above this range resemble the DCMS behavior. Al-O films are deposited using both HiPIMS and DCMS.Analysis of the film properties shows that elimination/suppression of the hysteresis in HiPIMS facilitates the growth of stoichiometric and transparent Al 2 O 3 at relatively high deposition rates over a wider range of experimental conditions as compared to DCMS.

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“…The reason for this delay can be found in the relative sizes, also shown in figure 6, of the different terms in the argon rate equation (4). The diffusionrefill term has a time constant of several hundred µs, and as a consequence the n Ar (t) curve before about 40-50 µs essentially is an integration of the argon loss terms.…”

Section: Time Development During a Hipims Pulsementioning

confidence: 97%

An ionization region model for high-power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges

Raadu¹,

Axnäs²,

Guðmundsson³

et al. 2011

Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.

113

176

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A time-dependent plasma discharge model has been developed for the ionization region in a high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge. It provides a flexible modeling tool to explore, e.g., the temporal variations of the ionized fractions of the working gas and the sputtered vapor, the electron density and temperature, and the gas rarefaction and refill processes. A separation is made between aspects that can be followed with a certain precision, based on known data, such as excitation rates, sputtering and secondary emission yield, and aspects that need to be treated as uncertain and defined by assumptions. The input parameters in the model can be changed to fit different specific applications. Examples of such changes are the gas and target material, the electric pulse forms of current and voltage, and the device geometry. A basic version, ionization region model I, using a thermal electron population, singly charged ions, and ion losses by isotropic diffusion is described here. It is fitted to the experimental data from a HiPIMS discharge in argon operated with 100 µs long pulses and a 15 cm diameter aluminum target. Already this basic version gives a close fit to the experimentally observed current waveform, and values of electron density n e , the electron temperature T e , the degree of gas rarefaction, and the degree of ionization of the sputtered metal that are consistent with experimental data. We take some selected examples to illustrate how the model can be used to throw light on the internal workings of these discharges: the effect of varying power efficiency, the gas rarefaction and refill during a HiPIMS pulse, and the mechanisms determining the electron temperature.

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Influence of high power densities on the composition of pulsed magnetron plasmas

Cited by 275 publications

References 10 publications

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

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

Hysteresis and process stability in reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering of metal oxides

An ionization region model for high-power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges

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