Transition Mode Control in Reactive High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (R-HiPIMS)

This is to review a novel approach stabilizing reactive mode at transition regime in reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (R-HiPIMS). The proposed method is based on a real-time monitoring of peak discharge current. To stabilize the process conditions at a given set point, a feedback con...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of the Vacuum Society of Japan Vol. 60; no. 9; pp. 346 - 351
Main Authors SHIMIZU, Tetsuhide, VILLAMAYOR, Michelle, KERAUDY, Julien, LUNDIN, Daniel, HELMERSSON, Ulf
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Japanese
Published The Vacuum Society of Japan 2017
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Summary:This is to review a novel approach stabilizing reactive mode at transition regime in reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (R-HiPIMS). The proposed method is based on a real-time monitoring of peak discharge current. To stabilize the process conditions at a given set point, a feedback control system, which automatically regulates the pulse frequency, and thereby the average sputtering power, was implemented to maintain a constant maximum discharge current. As a representative result, the variation of the pulse current waveforms over a wide range of reactive gas flows and pulse frequencies during a R-HiPIMS of Hf in an Ar-N2 atmosphere illustrates that the discharge current waveform is an excellent indicator of the process conditions. Applicability of the proposed method was successfully demonstrated.
ISSN:1882-2398
1882-4749
DOI:10.3131/jvsj2.60.346