Pulse length dependence of a reactive high power impulse magnetron (HiPIMS) discharge

High power impulse magnetron sputtering discharge

J. T. Gudmundsson, N. Brenning, Daniel Lundin and Ulf Helmersson, High power impulse magnetron sputtering discharge, 2012, Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. A. Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, (30), 030801. http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.3691832 Copyright: American Vacuum Society, This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the ...

Hysteresis-free reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering

High power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) of an Al target in Ar/O2 mixtures has been studied. The use of HIPIMS is shown to drastically influence the process characteristics compared to conventional sputtering. Under suitable conditions, oxide formation on the target as the reactive gas flow is increased is suppressed, and the hysteresis effect commonly observed as the gas flow is varied...

On the electron energy in the high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharge

Process stabilization by peak current regulation in reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering of hafnium nitride

A simple and cost effective approach to stabilize the sputtering process in the transition zone during reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) is proposed. The method is based on real-time monitoring and control of the discharge current waveforms. To stabilize the process conditions at a given set point, a feedback control system was implemented that automatically regulates th...

SiNx Coatings Deposited by Reactive High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering: Process Parameters Influencing the Nitrogen Content.

Reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering (rHiPIMS) was used to deposit silicon nitride (SiNx) coatings for biomedical applications. The SiNx growth and plasma characterization were conducted in an industrial coater, using Si targets and N2 as reactive gas. The effects of different N2-to-Ar flow ratios between 0 and 0.3, pulse frequencies, target power settings, and substrate temperature...