Energetic deposition of metal ions: observation of self-sputtering and limited sticking for off-normal angles of incidence

Abstract

The deposition of films under normal and off-normal angles of incidence has been investigated in order to explore the relevance of non-sticking and self-sputtering of energetic ions. Non-sticking and self-sputtering lead to the formation of neutral atoms which return to the plasma and affect its properties. The flow of energetic ions was obtained using a filtered cathodic arc system in high vacuum. The range of materials included Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Ti and Ni. Consistent with molecular dynamics simulations published in the literature, the experiments showed that the combined effects of non-sticking and self-sputtering appear to be significant, although the relatively large error range of the experimental method would not allow us to derive quantitative data. It was shown that modest heating of the substrate and intentional introduction of oxygen background gas considerably affected the results.