Over the past decade mid-frequency power supplies have evolved into a common tool for a wide variety of plasma applications. Arc-handling performance, output parameter control precision and ignition capabilities have been improved continuously over the years. But still there is room for further development of MF power supplies aiming for higher process yield, better quality, and new fields of application. Process stability especially under difficult sputtering conditions is becoming more and more crucial. Maintaining constant plasma power in the presence of hundreds or thousands of arcs per second is a pre-requisite for homogeneous layer thickness, as well as proper stoichiometry in reactive mode processes. This paper provides an overview and presents test results of a state of the art arc management system. Furthermore, a new MF output voltage and current measurement system comprising high precision as well as high speed data conversion is presented. By this means, the state of the plasma discharge can be determined very fast and precisely. This paper gives an overview about the main features characterizing the next generation of Mid-Frequency plasma power supplies and presents results of investigations which have been undertaken in plasma processes.
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