Effects of power on ion behaviors in radio-frequency magnetron sputtering of indium tin oxide(ITO)

This study delves into ion behavior at the substrate position within RF magnetron discharges utilizing an indium tin oxide(ITO)target.The positive ion energies exhibit an upward trajectory with increasing RF power,attributed to heightened plasma potential and initial emergent energy.Simultaneously,the positive ion flux escalates owing to amplified sputtering rates and electron density.Conversely,negative ions exhibit broad ion energy distribution functions(IEDFs)characterized by multiple peaks.These patterns are clarified by a combination of radiofrequency oscillation of cathode voltage and plasma potential,alongside ion transport time.This elucidation finds validation in a one-dimensional model encompassing the initial ion energy.At higher RF power,negative ions surpassing 100 e V escalate in both flux and energy,posing a potential risk of sputtering damages to ITO layers.

Reconstruction of Ionization Density Distribution in Hall Thruster Channel from Ion Energy Spectrum of Plasma Jet

Propellant ionization in the Hall thruster discharge channel is a significant process and has strong influence on the thruster＇s efficiency. In this work, the functional relation has been established between the ionization density distribution and the function of the ion energy distribution through the basic equations governing the ion flow in the Hall thruster channel and the method achieved for reconstructing the ionization density distribution inside the channel by ordinary plasma diagnosis of the potential distribution and ion energy spectrum of the plasma jet. The ionization density distributions of single and double charged ions in an ATON-thruster channel have been reconstructed according to the experimental data of the potential distribution along the axis of the channel and the ion energy spectrum of the plasma jet. The agreement between the calculation and experimental results of the percentage of double charged ions proves the validity of our method achieved in this work.

Phase shift effects of radio-frequency bias on ion energy distribution in continuous wave and pulse modulated inductively coupled plasmas

A retarding field energy analyzer（RFEA） is used to measure the time-averaged ion energy distributions（IEDs） on the substrate in both continuous wave（CW） and synchronous pulse modulated radio-frequency（RF） inductively coupled Ar plasmas（ICPs）.The effects of the phase shift θ between the RF bias voltage and the RF source on the IED is investigated under various discharge conditions.It is found that as θ increases from 0 to π,the IED moves towards the low-energy side,and its energy width becomes narrower.In order to figure out the physical mechanism,the voltage waveforms on the substrate are also measured.The results show that as θ increases from 0 to π,the amplitude of the voltage waveform decreases and,meanwhile,the average sheath potential decreases as well.Specifically,the potential drop in the sheath on the substrate exhibits a maximum value at the same phase（i.e.,θ = 0） and a minimum value at the opposite phase（i.e.,θ = π）.Therefore,when ions traverse across the sheath region above the substrate,they obtain less energies at lower sheath potential drop,leading to lower ion energy.Besides,as θ increases from π to 2π,the IEDs and their energy widths change reversely.

Effect of Frequency and Power of Bias Applied to Substrate on Plasma Property of Very-High-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

The effect of the frequency and power of the bias applied to the substrate on plasma properties in 60 MHz（VHF） magnetron sputtering was investigated.The plasma properties include the ion velocity distribution function（IVDF）,electron energy probability function（EEPF）,electron density ne,ion flux Γi,and effective electron temperature Teff.These parameters were measured by a retarding field energy analyzer and a Langmuir probe in the 60 MHz magnetron sputtering,assisted with 13.56 MHz or 27.12 MHz substrate bias.The 13.56 MHz substrate bias led to broadening and multi-peaks IVDFs,Maxwellian EEPFs,as well as high electron density,ion flux,and low electron temperature.The 27.12 MHz substrate bias led to a further increase of electron density and ion flux,but made the IVDFs narrow.Therefore,the frequency of the substrate bias was a possible way to control the plasma properties in VHF magnetron sputtering.