On the Control of Hot Nickel Target Magnetron Sputtering by Distribution of Power Pulses

Abstract

This paper presents the experimental results of high-temperature sputtering of nickel targets by the Gas Injection Magnetron Sputtering (GIMS) technique. The GIMS technique is a pulsed magnetron sputtering technique that involves the generation of plasma pulses by injecting small doses of gas into the zone of the magnetron target surface. Using a target with a dedicated construction to limit heat dissipation and the proper use of injection parameters and electrical power density, the temperature of the target during sputtering can be precisely controlled. This feature of the GIMS technique was used in an experiment with sputtering nickel targets of varying thicknesses and temperatures. Plasma emission spectra and current-voltage waveforms were studied to characterize the plasma process. The thickness, structure, phase composition, and crystallite size of the nickel layers produced on silicon substrates were investigated. Our experiment showed that although the most significant increase in growth kinetics was observed for high temperatures, the low sputtering temperature range may be the most interesting from a practical perspective. The excited plasma has the highest energy in the sputtering temperature range, just above the Curie temperature.