Understanding the effect of pulsed power delivery modes on reactive sputter deposition process and coating properties through experimental and plasma simulation studies
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Surface and Coatings Technology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2025.131975 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2025.131975 |
| Keywords | Reactive sputter deposition; Sputter power delivery; Plasma simulation; Plasma dynamics |
| Description | eactive sputtering of dielectric films with high deposition rate, well-defined optical properties, and low stress over large area substrates has been a continual goal in the field of large area coatings leading to several developments in industrial coating equipment. In recent years, demand for coatings on heat sensitive substrates has led to further innovations in terms of equipment as well as process modifications. Bipolar (BP) pulsed-DC, using dual magnetron sputtering configuration, has been widely used on production scales for several years. A more recent power delivery configuration is the dynamic reverse pulsing (DRP®) mode that can be utilised on existing setups by retrofitting dual magnetron systems with explicit anodes. In this paper, we provide an in-depth comparison of the BP and DRP modes on sputter deposition of silicon nitride films through experimental studies under constant operating conditions for reliable comparability. We observed lowered heat load at the substrate and lower film stress with the DRP mode as compared to the BP mode, for the same applied sputter power. An improved deposition rate could be realised by modifying the anode arrangement in the DRP mode. Plasma simulation studies were performed to gain insights on the plasma dynamics by applying a hybrid numerical method. Simulation results indicated inherent differences in plasma dynamics of the two pulsed modes tested and substantiate the experimental results. As different applications demand stringent and distinct coating requirements, we show that the power delivery mode can be utilised as an additional variable to optimize film properties. |
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