Prediction of the spatial distribution of vapor and of the spatial variations in target erosion in magnetron sputter deposition systems is valuable in maximizing production yields and deposition system uptime, and in minimizing consumable material costs. In this paper we report on the simulation of vapor distribution and target erosion of an indium tin oxide magnetron deposition system and compare the simulation results to physical measurements from the production system. The magnetron used exhibits the typical high erosion rates in the end regions, corresponding to the ExB drift direction of secondary electrons created in the ends. The simulation results are in good agreement with the measurements and show that the increased erosion is related to higher ioniza-tion rates in this region of the plasma. The erosion rate is determined by the distribution of high energy electrons accelerated from the target surface into the plasma. In order to better understand film properties, substrate bombardment by neutrals and charged particles is investigated. Input variables include gas pressure, cathode voltage, and cathode current. The simulations are performed using a plasma steady state, finite element method (FEM).
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