Angular distribution of atoms during the magnetron sputtering of polycrystalline targets

Abstract

The angular distributions of atoms are measured during the dc magnetron sputtering of Mg, Al, Cu, Ag, Ta, Pt, Au, Ti, Cr, Zn, Zr, and Nb polycrystals by Ar ions with an energy up to 0.5 keV. These angular distributions are phenomenologically approximated, and adjustable parameters are found for each element. Computer simulation of sputtering based on the pair collision approximation is used to determine the coefficient of proportionality between the magnetron discharge voltage and the average sputtering ion energy and to find the interatomic interaction potentials that provide the most accurate description of the experimental data. Both the angular distribution width and the sputtering coefficient are shown to have a periodic dependence on the atomic number of the target Z2, and materials with the maximum sputtering coefficients have the narrowest distribution of sputtered atoms.