[Zurück]

M. Horkel, C. Eisenmenger-Sittner, M. Quirchmair, K. VanAeken, D. Depla, S. Mahieu, W. Leroy:
"Determination of the nascent angular distribution of sputtered particles during reactive and non-reactive magnetron sputtering";
Vortrag: 18th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-18), Beijing/China; 23.08.2010 - 27.08.2010.

Abstract: The angular distribution of the impinging sputtered particles at the substrate is a vital parameter for the growth process of the deposited film, as it influences the microstructure. It can be measured at an arbitrary point in the deposition chamber by the use of a pinhole camera. Moreover, a detailed study of the angular distribution can provide insight in the fundamental principles of magnetron sputter deposition, such as the nascent angular distribution of the sputtered particles, the shape of the local sputter rate and transport of the sputtered particles through the gas phase since all these processes influence the angular distribution. When a special target geometry and specific process parameters are used, the angular distribution is primarily influenced by the nascent angular distribution of the sputtered particles, which can be therefore directly measured. This is the case for a cylindrical target with a rotating magnetic system where the local sputter rate is equal at every point of the target, and sputter conditions resulting in a low pressure distance product.
The nascent angular distributions of Cu, Al, and Ti during magnetron sputtering with argon as working gas were determined using this method. Additionally, experiments with Ti sputtered reactively in an argon oxygen atmosphere were conducted and a distinct change in the nascent angular distribution compared to non reactive sputtering could be observed. Furthermore, experiments with a standard 2 inch planar Ti target sputtered reactively were conducted to further investigate the changes of the angular distribution when switching from metallic to reactive sputter mode.
The financial support of the IWT Flanders, Grant No. SBO-060030 is gratefully acknowledged.

nascent angle; sputtering; magnetron; reactive