Ions Bombardment in Thin Films and Surface Processing

Abstract

Ions bombardment is very important in thin films and surface processing. The ion energy and ion flux are two important parameters in ion bombardment. The ion current density mainly dependent on the plasma density gives the number of energetic ions bombarding the substrate. The self-bias voltage in plasma sheath accelerates plasma ions towards the substrate. RF discharge can increase plasma density and RF bias can also provide the insulator substrate with a plasma sheath. In order to choose and control ion energy, ion density, the angle of incidence, and ion species, ion beam sources are used. New types of electrodeless ion sources (RF, MW, ECR-MW) have been introduced in detail. In the last, the effects of ion bombardment on thin films and surface processing are presented.