Combinatorial Arc Plasma Deposition of Thin Films

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a new combinatorial thin film deposition process that uses arc plasma [combinatorial arc plasma deposition (CAPD)]. The major goal of CAPD in this study is to search for new compositions of amorphous thin film alloys. CAPD uses three cathodic arc plasma guns and the guns shoot the pulse like plasma one by one at a specific time interval. The plasma from each gun is guided onto a substrate by a magnetic field at a specific area on the substrate so as to deposit a compositionally-graded thin film. The deposited thin film is separated into 1,089 samples (the size of each is 1 ×1 mm2) by a trench grid on the substrate. The samples together are called the thin film library and all samples are numbered by the 5-bit row and column marks in the grid. To prove CAPD, a thin film library of a Pd–Cu–Si alloy system was deposited. The composition and non crystallinity of 180 samples were evaluated using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (EDX) and imaging-plate X-ray diffractometer (IP-XRD), respectively. Both measurements were performed without detaching the samples from the library. Analysis of 180 samples showed a graded composition, and some of the samples were shown to be amorphous.