[Zurück]

K. VanAeken, S. Mahieu, M. Horkel, Y. Aranda-Gonzalvo, D. Depla, C. Eisenmenger-Sittner:
"MC-simulation of the metallic flux during magnetron sputtering";
Vortrag: 11th International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (PSE), Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany; 15.09.2008 - 16.09.2008.

The characterisation and optimisation of the metallic flux towards the substrate is an important step towards the controlled deposition of complex layers with desired stoichiometry and microstructure by magnetron sputtering.In light of this we developed a test-pparticle Monte Carlo simulation for describing the transport of neutral particles through the gas phase.
The atomic collisions were modelled using a number of different interaction potentials,including quantum chemical potentials,and the influence on the transport was studied. The atomic thermal motion of the background gas, considered to be homogeneous and at predefined pressure and temperature, was also taken into account. The code was validated by comparing simulated spatial, energy and angular distributions of the arriving flux with data obtain from 3 sets of experiments:
1) The deposition profile around a small scale cylindrical and rotatable magnetron was measured with a quartz crystal microbalance placed on a rotatable and translatable arm. This was carried out for a number of different target materials (CCu,Al,Ti)and pressures and subsequently simulated taking into account the full 3D geometry of the set-up.Since measuring the erosion profile on a cylinder is not straightforward, the racetrack was simulated using a MC test-eelectron model, which tracks the movement of the electrons through predefined electric and magnetic fields.
2) The energy distribution of the flux from a planar 2" target was measured with an energy-rresolved mass spectrometer at different pressures and distances from the target.
3) Simulated angular distributions were compared to experimental ones measured with a flux monitor, being a small differentially pumped pinhole camera.