Influence Of Sputtering Conditions Research Articles

Comparative study of ITO layers deposited by DC and RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature

Two different magnetron sputtering techniques with RF and DC plasma discharge modes were tested for room temperature deposition of ITO layers from In2O3:SnO2 targets (10wt% SnO2). The influence of sputtering conditions (mainly the sputtering power and oxygen content in the Ar–O2 gas mixture) on the transparency and conductivity of the formed layers was investigated. The ITO films obtained both by RF and DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature have a high transparency in the visible wavelength range (80–85%) and a low surface resistance (20–25Ω/sq for ∼300nm thickness) but their optimized deposition conditions and structural properties are significantly different. The DC sputtering can be performed in pure Ar with a lower discharge power density (1.0W/cm2) and relatively high deposition rate (∼60nm/min) while the RF sputtering requires Ar–O2 (3.0vol.% O2) gas mixture, higher discharge power density (1.5W/cm2) and yields a lower deposition rate (∼20nm/min). The RF sputtered ITO layers show a crystalline structure with strong (222), (400), (440), (622) X-ray diffraction peak intensities while the DC layers are amorphous with surface morphology formed by nano-scale grains.

Influence of sputtering conditions on ionic conductivity of LiPON thin films

LiPON films were deposited using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering in a pure N 2 gas atmosphere. The influence of rf power, N 2 pressure, target–substrate distance and target density on thin film composition and ionic conductivity has been studied. Impedance measurements performed between 25 and 80 °C have indicated that ionic conductivity increases with nitrogen incorporation into the glass structure. An increase in the deposition rate with the target density has also been observed.

Influence of sputtering conditions and electron energy on XPS depth profiling of Ge in SiO2

AbstractGe nanocluster formation in SiO2 is of growing interest for new electronic applications. Ion beam synthesis using high‐energy Ge implantation connected with thermal annealing is one possible preparation method of such clusters. In addition to investigations of electrical and structural changes during the cluster formation process we also studied chemical changes in the samples using x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This was done with low‐energy noble gas ion sputtering for depth profiling. Binding state information one can get from the XPS data by means of factor analysis (FA) in combination with other structural investigations. However, mixed bonding states probably created by ion beam damage during sputter erosion are dominating the results. It is shown, that by changing the experimental conditions (ion beam impact depth during sputtering, electron information depth during XPS measurement) these mixed states are influenced in an appropriate manner. It is concluded that useful chemical information on the behavior of the implanted Ge can be derived despite of the ion beam damage. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Influence of sputtering conditions on the solar and luminous optical properties of amorphous LixWoy thin films

Thin films of amorphous tungsten oxide were deposited by sputtering onto glass substrates coated by conductive indium–tin oxide. The films were sputtered at different oxygen-to-argon flow ratios with different pressure and power. Elastic recoil detection analysis determined the density and the stoichiometry. X-ray diffraction measurements showed that the films were amorphous. The films were electrochemically intercalated with lithium ions. At several intercalation levels of each film, the optical reflectance and transmittance were measured in the wavelength range 0.3–2.5 μm. We study the effect of various sputtering conditions on the coloration efficiency of the films and on the luminous and solar optical properties. The O 2 /Ar ratio and the sputter pressure determine to a large extent the optical absorption. As-deposited sputtered tungsten oxide with sufficiently little oxygen exhibits an absorption peak similar to the case of lithium intercalation.

Influence of sputtering conditions on microstructure and mechanical properties of Zr–Si–N films prepared by radio-frequency-reactive sputtering

ZrN and ZrSiN films were prepared in an rf-sputtering apparatus which has a pair of targets facing each other (referred to as the facing target-type rf sputtering). In order to investigate the influence of substrate temperature on the structure and mechanical properties of Zr–Si–N films, the substrate temperature during the deposition was changed from 373 K to 673 K. Only one phase with a cubic B1 NaCl structure, typical for ZrN, can be clearly identified in all Zr–Si–N films in this study. Increasing substrate temperature can improve crystalline quality in all Zr–Si–N films in this study. Grain sizes of all Zr–Si–N thin films, despite the Si content, increase linearly with increasing substrate temperature. However, the grain growth speed with increasing substrate temperature in a pure ZrN thin film is much faster than that in Zr–Si–N thin films, because Si atom occupation of interstitial sites tends to lock diffusion paths and thus stabilize the structure. The hardness of Zr–Si–N films with low Si content, such as 3 at. % Si, decreases after the substrate temperature increases above 600 K because the internal stress drops. In the high Si content Zr–Si–N films, the hardness improved by increasing substrate temperature due to the increased strength in the grain boundaries.

Influence of sputtering conditions on the structure and properties of Ti–Si–N thin films prepared by r.f.-reactive sputtering

The influence of Si content and sputtering conditions on the microstructure and mechanical properties (hardness and Young's modulus) of Ti–Si–N were investigated using XRD, XPS and nano-indentation. The composite targets consisting of a Ti plate and Si or Si 3N 4 chips were sputtered in a mixture of argon and nitrogen. Ti–Si–N films were prepared in an r.f. sputtering apparatus of the facing target-type. During the deposition, the substrate was heated from room temperature up to ∼573 K and a bias of d.c. up to −100 V was applied. Without substrate heating and bias, the hardness of the films increased from 30 GPa for a binary system, reaching a maximum of 37 GPa for a ternary system with a small amount (3–8 at.%) of Si. It then decreased to lower values than those of binary systems when Si was more than 10 at.%. The tendency to grow columnar grains was strongest at approximately 5 at.% of Si. The hardness of Ti–Si–N films increased and reached to a maximum value of 42 GPa around at a bias of −10 V, but the crystallite size of the film remained larger than 23 nm. The increase of hardness with small amounts of Si in TiSiN films was probably associated with the lattice distortion. On the other hand, the increment of hardness of films containing 20 at.% of Si by the negative bias application could be attributed to the formation of nano-composite structure.

スパッタ条件がシリコン基板上のチタン薄膜の微細組織に及ぼす影響

Titanium (Ti) thin films were deposited on thermal oxidized silicon wafer by a spattering method. The influences of sputtering conditions on the microstructure of Ti films were investigated. The preferred orientation of Ti films change from (002) plane to (101) plane with an increase in sputtering temperature. The grain size and surface roughness increases with increasing spattering temperature till 653 K. On the other hand, the grain size and surface roughness of Ti film surface increases with increasing the thickness of films. This tendency was promoted at higher spattering temperature.

The Influence of Sputtering Condition on the Soft Magnetic

The Influence of Sputtering Condition on the Soft Magnetic

Influence of sputtering conditions on corrosion of sputtered W–Ti–N thin film hard coatings: salt spray tests and image analysis

The corrosion resistance of sputter-coated W–Ti–N films on high speed steel substrates prepared under different deposition conditions has been compared by varying the film surface roughness, the film thickness and depositing a first W–Ti layer. Salt spray tests have been carried out and the resulting pitting corrosion evaluated by image analysis and by microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results show that the most important factors influencing corrosion are film compactness and thickness. The detailed mechanism of corrosion is discussed, involving electrolyte penetration with substrate corrosion, the corrosion products either blocking further corrosion or leading to localised film rupture.

Preparation of PbS microcrystal-doped SiO2 glass thin films by the RF-sputtering method

PbS microcrystal-doped SiO 2 glass thin films were successfully prepared by RF-sputtering method. The influence of sputtering conditions, such as input power, substrate temperature and relative surface area of PbS pellets in the sputtering target, on the size of PbS microcrystals in the resultant films was investigated. The larger blue shift of the optical absorption edge caused by the quantum confinement effect was seen in the PbS particles of smaller size. The dependence of the blue shift on the particle size is interpreted in terms of the hyperbolic band model.

Influence of Sputtering Conditions on the Characteristics of Superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O Films

Influences of the substrate holder bias voltage VH, the oxygen partial pressure PO2, and the distance D between the substrate and the target on the superconducting characteristics of Y-Ba-Cu-O thin films were investigated. The optimum bias voltages were from -10 V to -20 V for total gas pressure P=300-500 mTorr. With increasing distance at P=500 mTorr, the critical temperature Tc increased and the c-lattice parameter c0 decreased. However, at D longer than 50 mm, the values of Tc and c0 did not depend on D. These films have the maximum Tc of 90 K and the c-lattice parameter ranging from 1.167 to 1.169 nm. These results imply that the sputtering conditions of PO2≥300 mTorr, VH of -10 V to -20 V and D>5 cm at 500 mTorr are necessary for fabricating the films having Tc of 87-90 K by means of on-axis rf magnetron sputtering having a YBa2Cu3Oz target.

Influence of sputtering conditions on morphology of tungsten carbide-cobalt films: A. Cavaleiro et al, Thin Solid Films Vol 213, No 1, 1992, 6–12

Influence of sputtering conditions on morphology of tungsten carbide-cobalt films: A. Cavaleiro et al, Thin Solid Films Vol 213, No 1, 1992, 6–12

MASS PRODUCTION OF HIGH PERFORMANCE MAGNETO-OPTICAL DISKS BY IN-LINE SPUTTERING PROCESS

Using an in-line sputtering system composed of seven chambers and one outgassing module, the effects of sputtering conditions on the performance and reproducibility of Magneto-Optical disks based on TbFeCo have been studied. A dc reactive sputtering superimposed with an ac has remarkedly reduced arcings in the fabrication of silicon nitride films without excessive substrate heating. The influences of total pressures, Ar/N2 ratios and input powers on the refractive index of a silicon nitride film were extensively investigated. The protective ability of a silicon nitride film was found to be mainly dependent on the refractive index, but an amount of the warp of polycarbonate substrates was dependent on the process parameters. The influences of sputtering conditions on the corrosion resistance and magnetic properties were also studied. Good uniformities of the thickness and composition of a silicon nitride layer and a magneto-optical layer could be achieved by sputtering at a low pressure. An excellent reproducibility in fabricating the disks having a quadri layered structure was achieved and BER was at the low level of 10-6.

Influence of Sputtering Conditions on Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy in GdTbCo Amorphous Films

The effects of Ar pressure on GdTbCo film characteristics without bias voltage were studied. Sample films demonstrated a large perpendicular anisotropy (K u ) which increased with the Tb contraction. In GdCo films, K u became less negative as the Ar pressure increased, but K u decreased in films containing Tb. Other results indicated that GdTbCo disks will be easy to manufacture.

Structure and density of sputtered MoS 2-films

Methods for the determination of the density of sputtered films of MoS 2 are discussed and the problems connected with the determination of the film thickness are elucidated. The density determined for different coating parameters is given and the results are compared with the data of natural MoS 2. The deviation from the bulk value is explained by morphological properties of the films. In addition, the influence of sputtering conditions on the structure of the films is mentioned and the results are correlated with these data.

Stoichiometry and friction properties of sputtered MoS x layers

The influence of sputtering conditions on the composition of MoS x films was investigated. It was found that a rather low argon pressure as well as a substrate bias potential causes a high sulphur deficiency in the sputtered layers compared with the target material; this can be compensated by using an Ar-H 2S sputtering atmosphere. The frictional behaviour of these layers depends strongly on the actual layer composition. Pressure-dependent changes in the coefficient of sliding friction are observed under high vacuum conditions as well as in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Preparation of SmCo amorphous magnetic film with perpendicular magnetization

Sm <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</inf> Co <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">100-x</inf> ( <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">20 \leq x \leq 30</tex> ) films deposited on glass substrate and Sm <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">37.8</inf> Co <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">62.2</inf> films deposited on silicon substrate with perpendicular magnetization have been prepared by a magnetron rf sputtering. The influence of sputtering conditions, i.e. bias voltage; substrate temperature; composition and perpendicular magnetic field on perpendicular anisotropy are reported in detail.

Influence of sputtering conditions on H content and SiH bonding in aSi: H alloys

The influence of sputtering conditions on H concentration and SiH bonding has been determined for the case of diode reactive sputtering of Si in ArH mixtures, and a simple model for SiH reaction kinetics has been developed. H content and SiH bonding can be varied and controlled over wide ranges by appropriate selection of sputtering conditions. SiH reaction kinetics are found to be governed primarily by deposition rate (reaction time), H partial pressure (H availability) and possibiy substrate temperature (mobility of Si and H on the surface of the growing film). H concentration increases with decreasing deposition rate and increasing H partial pressure. SiH bonding increases with increasing deposition rate and decreasing H partial pressure. Polymerization of H and Si (SiH 2, SiH 3) occurs for lowest deposition rates and highest H partial pressures. Polymerization reactions are enhanced in films deposited at very high target power densities. The high power density causes substrate temperature to be higher than expected, and the enhanced polymerization may be due to increased Si and H surface mobility at the elevated temperatures.

Preparation of Molybdenum Silicide Films by Reactive Sputtering

A new deposition technique for molybdenum silicide films is presented whereby the films are deposited by magnetron‐d‐c‐reactive sputtering using a Mo target in a silane argon atmosphere. The influence of sputtering conditions upon the film properties was investigated by utilizing mass spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and x‐ray diffractometry. Films with various Si/Mo atomic ratios up to 1.9 were obtained by controlling the sputtering power and the silane partial pressure. The crystal structures were found to be continuously transformed from Mo‐rich silicides to Si‐rich ones, including ,, and , with increasing Si/Mo atomic ratio.

The Influence of Sputtering Condition on Mo-Si Shottky Barrier Formation

The Influence of Sputtering Condition on Mo-Si Shottky Barrier Formation