Double unbalanced magnetron sputtering system used for ion-assisted thin film deposition

摘要

Detailed characterization of a newly developed sputtering system consisting of two symmetrically inclined unbalanced magnetron sputtering devices, to be used for ion-assisted deposition of two component alloy thin films, is made. The workingcharacteristics of the double magnetron system are compared with those of a single magnetron sputtering device with perpendicular geometry and a magnetron with inclined geometry, all of them based on the same unbalanced Sm-Co magnetic assemblage of typeII. The experiments were made with Cu targets of 52 mm diam., and 1 mm thickness using Ar at a pressure from 2×10{sup}-3 Torr to 2×10{sup}-2 and for target-substrate distances from 55 mm to 75 mm. The results include the following characteristics of the system: (i) discharge characteristics of the individually and of the simultaneously working magnetrons; (ii) dependence of the floating potential at isolated substrate and of the currents to grounded and to negatively biased substrate on differentparameters of the magnetron discharge; (iii) homogeneity of the thickness of the deposited films.