Effect of trampoline sputtering on surface morphology and coatings properties

Abstract

The collective trampoline ion-plasma effect was used to modify surface properties of metals, ceramics, silicon and carbon in a desired manner. The rough surfaces created by low-energy dense ion flows were demonstrated to include double-level hierarchical structures. Namely, the submicron and nanoscale peaks and valleys were found. The coating films were deposited by the nanoclusters emitted in the trampoline mode, as well as by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods. The substrates were prepared by prior ion processing in the trampoline mode. Preliminary nanoscale texturing of surfaces substantially modified the interaction of ion-plasma flows with surfaces during the subsequent film formation by PVD and PECVD techniques. The so created rough surface showed the strong film adhesion and a 25%–50% faster film formation during ion-plasma deposition as compared to the case of a non-textured surface. The transfer of target material in the form of nanoclusters allowed obtaining dense defect-free micron-scale films. The submicron structure leads to the infrared and visible light trapping. The results were analyzed on the basis of the previously suggested qualitative model of the trampoline sputtering.