Ion energies in high power impulse magnetron sputtering with and without localized ionization zones

Journal Article · Mon Mar 23 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4916233· OSTI ID:22398796

Yang, Yuchen ^[1]; Tanaka, Koichi ^[2]; Liu, Jason ^[2]; Anders, André ^[2]

---

1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Lab for Materials Processing and Die and Mold Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)
2. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

High speed imaging of high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges has revealed that ionization is localized in moving ionization zones but localization disappears at high currents for high yield targets. This offers an opportunity to study the effect ionization zones have on ion energies. We measure that ions have generally higher energies when ionization zones are present, supporting the concept that these zones are associated with moving potential humps. We propose that the disappearance of ionization zones is caused by an increased supply of atoms from the target which cools electrons and reduces depletion of atoms to be ionized.

• OSTI ID: 22398796
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 106; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATOMS
AVAILABILITY
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES
ELECTRONS
IONIZATION
IONS
MAGNETRONS
POTENTIALS
SPUTTERING
VELOCITY
YIELDS
ZONES