? 2022 Elsevier B.V.High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) as high ionization sputtering technique is widely used to tailor the structure and the properties of thin films. However, investigations of process related effects are mainly obtained by HiPIMS of metallic, one-component targets, whereas examinations of compound targets are rarely found. Therefore, HiPIMS of MoS2 targets was conducted under a variation of the pulse duration and pulse frequency. During the process the current and voltage values were measured in order to investigate the characteristics of the discharge mode. The time-dependent current waveforms reveal a working gas-sustained self-sputtering for HiPIMS of MoS2. By decreasing the pulse frequency or the pulse duration, the peak-current is increased and the contribution of self-sputtering and the related gas rarefaction is enhanced, which leads to a reduced deposition rate.
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