Monte Carlo simulation of high rate reactive sputtering of tin oxide in planar d.c. magnetron systems

Abstract

The transport process of high rate sputtered tin atoms from the target to the substate, crossing an argon-oxygen plasma in a cylindrically symmetrical planar magnetron configuration, is investigated and a model is proposed based on the Monte Carlo technique. The effects of the inert (argon) and reactive (O 2) gas partial pressures and the target-to-substrate separation on thickness distribution and electrical conductivity of the deposited films are examined. Oxide formation “on the way” from the target to the substrate is taken into consideration in the proposed model together with surface reactions on substrate and target. Tin oxide films deposited with the aid of an optical emission monitoring system, in order to control the degree of oxidation, exhibited thickness and resistance profiles that are in good agreement with the calculated material and compositional distribution.