Magnetron Cathode Research Articles

Study of high efficiency, low noise sputtered magnetron's cathode using GaN and SiC semiconductors for modulated microwave power transmission

AbstractSemiconductor deposition on magnetron's cathode surface using different materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors is conducted to grow approximately 80, 100 and 120 nm plasma layers. The cathode is then used to generate high frequency and low-power microwave for further comparison and analysis with the conventional magnetron operation. Parameter of analysis to identify the efficiency includes electron drift velocity, harmonic order, total harmonic distortion, low harmonic distortion, and spectrum observation. The sputtered cathode of the magnetron is used to generate a low-power microwave observing a generator efficiency up to 93 and 88% for GaN and SiC materials, respectively, compared to the conventional material, which observes 37% of efficiency at 2450 MHz, 5 W. Also reported is the quality of semiconductor sputtering on the magnetron cathode, which was manipulated by the deposition period, temperature, and plasma layer growth thickness.

Generation of a Metal Ion Beam Using a Vacuum Magnetron Discharge

We have designed, fabricated and characterized an ion source based on a vacuum magnetron discharge. The magnetron discharge is initiated by a vacuum arc discharge, the plasma of which flows onto the magnetron sputtering target working surface. The vacuum arc material is usually the same as that of the magnetron target. The discharges operate at a residual pressure of 3 × 10−6 Torr without working gas feed. Pulses of vacuum arc (30 μs) and magnetron discharge (up to 300 μs) are applied simultaneously. After ignition by the vacuum arc, the magnetron discharge runs in a self-sustained mode. Cu–Cu, Ag–Ag, Zn–Zn, and Pb–Pb pairs of magnetron target material and vacuum arc cathode material were tested, as well as mixed pairs; for example, Cu vacuum arc cathode and Pb magnetron target. An ion beam was extracted from the discharge plasma by applying an accelerating voltage of up to 20 kV between the plasma expander and grounded electrodes. The ion beam collector current reached 80 mA. The ion beam composition, analyzed by a time-of-flight spectrometer, shows that the beam consists mainly of singly-charged (about 90%) and doubly-charged (about 10% current fraction) magnetron target material ions. The ion beam radial current density non-uniformity was as low as ±5% over a diameter of 6.6 cm, which is the diameter of the source output aperture.

Properties of Low Pressure Magnetron Discharge Under the Initiation of Emission Processes on Discharge Electrodes by An Accelerated Ion Beam

The effect of an ion beam injected along the axis of the anode electrode of a planar magnetron on the ignition of an anomalous low-pressure glow discharge in the magnetron is considered. The characteristics of the discharge ignition at pressures <8·10–2 Pa and the properties of a planar magnetron upon irradiation of the magnetron cathode by an argon ion beam are determined. It has been established that the discharge ignition voltage decreases with increasing ion energy. Its dependence on the ion beam current has a threshold character. The prospects of expanding the functionality of planar magnetrons by matching the sputtering modes of the central anode by an ion beam and the magnetron cathode by plasma ions of an anomalous glow discharge is shown.

DISCHARGE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAGNETRON SYSTEM FOR SPUTTERING, DEPOSITION, AND NANOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

Magnetron sputtering is known for years as a powerful tool for coating deposition of cutting tools and machine parts. However the experimental measurements of the magnetron discharge parameters are still necessary to provide a consumer of the magnetron system with the reliable characteristics. A voltage-current relation is the most applied characteristic of the discharge, and it is described as the power low of a type U = U0 + aIn, where U and I are the voltage drop and the discharge current, respectively, and U0 and n are constant. First part of the research is dedicated to the experiments conducted in the magnetron setup provided with the titanium cathode in a vacuum chamber filled with argon or argon-nitrogen mixture, and the constants are determined for the particular geometry of the magnetron sputtering system. The obtained results can be used to choose the operation modes for the traditional applications of the magnetron discharge such as ion cleaning and heating of the non-magnetic workpieces arranged on the cathode, as well as for the sputtering deposition of the titanium and titanium nitride coatings on the surfaces of the workpieces located above the magnetron cathode. In the next part of the research the novel application of the magnetron for production of carbon nanostructures is considered. For the purpose, a layer of expanded graphite is arranged on the magnetron cathode, and the discharge is initiated in oxygen atmosphere. It was found that for the time interval of a few hours the discharge is described as a superposition of the typical magnetron glow with arc spot generation, and the intensity of the arcs is not decreased with time. At that, the arc initiation was accompanied with the formation of clusters of the graphite cathode. The process is explained in terms of the cathode spot generation at the interaction of the arc plasma with the non-melting material. This process can be beneficial for the development of the plasma reactors for the large-scale production of the carbon species at the low gas pressures suitable for the magnetron discharge operation. Thus, the magnetron sputtering systems provided with the expanded graphite cathode can be considered as the tool to grow carbon nanospecies in the arc discharge cathode spots.

Reactive process and hysteresis effect in magnetron with magnetized hollow cathode enhanced target

AbstractThe hysteresis effect in the reactive process was investigated in the magnetron with a magnetized hollow cathode enhanced target (HoCET) in which the target is coupled with the hollow cathode magnetized by the magnetic field of the magnetron. The process, where both the magnetron and hollow cathode plasmas are combined, is compared to the magnetron sputtering. The hysteresis curve in the magnetized HoCET magnetron, recording the titanium emission intensity versus varying content of nitrogen in the gas mixture exhibits a local maximum on the increasing part of the curve. The hysteresis curve is shifted to lower contents of nitrogen than the hysteresis curve for the magnetron. It is concluded that more efficient utilization of the reactive gas takes place in this device.

Synthesis and structural properties of Mo-S-N sputtered coatings

Transition-metal-dichalcogenide coatings provide low friction because of characteristic low shear strength along the basal plane of the lamellar structure; however, the material can easily degrade through exfoliation and poor adhesion to the metallic substrates. In this work, an innovative approach was employed to improve the coating’s adhesion. A secondary plasma source was used during deposition to generate an additional charged particle flux which was directed to the growing film independently of the magnetron cathode. Therefore, Mo-S-N solid lubricant films were deposited by DCMS from a single molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) target in a reactive atmosphere. Nitrogen was introduced during the deposition with increasing partial pressures, resulting in a high N2 content in the doped films (37 at. %). The variation in incident ion energy and flux of energetic species bombarding the growing film allows for the control of the S/Mo ratio through selective re-sputtering of sulphur from the film. The S/Mo ratio was progressively increased in the range of 1.2–1.8, resulting in a gradient from a metallic layer to the lubricious sulphide. Combining the ion bombardment with nitrogen incorporation, the cohesive critical load (Lc1) reached 38 N, 10 times more when compared to pure MoS2 coating. Observation using HRTEM revealed an amorphous structure and strong bonding with the substrate.

Low-temperature AlN film deposition using magnetic mirror-type magnetron cathode for low gas pressure operation

Low-temperature aluminum nitride (AlN) depositions were studied under low gas pressure conditions of 0.1 Pa. In order to operate under 0.1 Pa sputter-conditions, the magnetic mirror-type magnetron cathode (M3C) has been developed in the authors' studies. The plasma light-emission distributions generated by the M3C were observed at an input RF power of 5–100 W and an Ar gas pressure of 0.1–0.65 Pa. The M3C can operate effectively with both low gas pressure of 0.1 Pa (Ar) and low RF power of 5 W. The AlN films were deposited using a bare silicon substrate without external substrate heating. The c-axis oriented AlN film was obtained at 0.1 Pa (pure nitrogen), 100 W, and a target-to-substrate distance of 70 mm.

Direct current magnetron coating chamber characterization directed toward the efficient development of broadband x-ray optic multilayer coatings

A direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering system has been developed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for depositing broadband x-ray optic multilayer coatings. The system has the capability to house up to four, 2-in.-diameter direct-cooled DC magnetron cathodes. The 2-in.-diameter cathodes facilitate low-cost, early stage research and development of various types of optical coatings. Despite the small target diameter, good coating uniformity on 4-in.-diameter substrates is demonstrated. Sources of both systematic and random error in the deposition of depth-graded multilayer coatings were identified and compensated for, resulting in the ability to deposit coating that required ∼7.5 h of total deposition time. Final verification of the system was concluded with the deposition of an NuSTAR W/Si depth-graded multilayer coating design (flight recipe 10).

Effect of copper nanoparticles on plasma glow intensity of high frequency capacitive discharge

The paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the effect of copper nanoparticles on plasma glow intensity of high-frequency capacitive discharge. Nanoparticles are composed of atoms, molecules and nanoclusters of copper, which are agglomerated, involving into the plasma volume. Magnetron sputtering system was used to obtain flux of copper atoms and molecules into the plasma volume. It is known that only the size and density of nanoparticles affects the optical properties of a plasma. In this case, almost any magnetron cathode material can be used as a source of nanoparticles. High-frequency plasma and magnetron discharge are ignited in the same medium with highly pure argon gas. To analyze the plasma glow intensity, the emission spectral lines with wavelengths of 737 and 750 nm were used. Thereby, it was revealed, that the density of nanoparticles in the plasma medium depends on the duration of the magnetron sputtering process and saturates with time. As the experimental results show, the plasma glow intensity with the duration of the magnetron sputtering process for 7, 14, 20 and 40 seconds, accordingly, increases in relative units ​​by 4451, 5280, 10725, 13545. That is, in this case, the plasma glow intensity with nanoparticles is three times higher than in case where nanoparticles are absent. If the sputtering process continues more than one minute, then the plasma glow intensity of does not significantly increase, this evidence the beginning of saturation of nanoparticles density in the plasma volume due to the escape of nanoparticles from the plasma volume. We believe that the experimental results find application in areas related with problems of increasing the gas-discharge glow intensity for light sources without increasing their input power.

A novel Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;Hf&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;7&lt;/sub&gt; ceramic cathode applied to high power magnetron tube

Nowadays, the output power and lifetime of a single magnetron are far from the requirements of industrial applications. So the new materials and methods are urgently needed to enhance the output power and prolong the lifetime of the magnetron. As the heart of a magnetron, cathode, whose quality directly affects the output power and lifetime of the magnetron, plays an important role. In order to enhance the output power and prolong the lifetime of the high power magnetron, a method of doping rare earth oxide Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; into transition metal oxide HfO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; is used to prepare Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;Hf&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;7&lt;/sub&gt; ceramic cathode. The thermionic emission and lifetime characteristics of the Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;Hf&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;7&lt;/sub&gt; cathode are measured. The results show that the cathode can provide 0.15, 0.2, 0.5, 1.1, 1.8, 2.5, 3.5 A/cm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; current density for the space charge limitation at 1300, 1350, 1400, 1450, 1500, 1550, 1600 ℃br under 300 V anode voltage, respectively. Absolute zero work function of the cathode is only 1.26 eV obtained by the Richardson line method. The effective work function of the cathode is 3.10, 3.15, 3.21, 3.26 eV obtained by the Richardson-Dushman formula at 1450, 1500, 1550, 1600 ℃br respectively. The lifetime of the cathode is more than 4000 h under an initial load of 0.5 A/cm&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; at 1400 ℃br, the lifetime which is much longer than the 2000 h average life span for the 2450 MHz continuous wave magnetron cathode used in production. Finally, the molecular structure, surface microstructure, element composition and content of the Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;Hf&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;7&lt;/sub&gt; ceramic cathode are analyzed by the X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometer, Auger electron spectroscopy with argon ion etching respectively. The analysis results show that the single Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;Hf&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;7&lt;/sub&gt; phase forms under the high sintering temperature. When the Y&lt;sup&gt;3+&lt;/sup&gt; valence Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; is doped into the Hf&lt;sup&gt;4+&lt;/sup&gt; valence HfO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, the substitutional solid solution will form. An oxygen vacancy is generated in the lattice, thus maintaining the electrical neutrality of the Y&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;Hf&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;7&lt;/sub&gt; lattice. During the cathode activating, aging, and thermally testing, the oxygen vacancy is generated fast. The more the obtained oxygen vacancies, the higher the conductivity of the cathode surface will be. Besides, due to the improvement of the electro-conductivity thus enhancing the thermionic emission capability of the cathode, the work function of the cathode can be reduced.

Phase transition in thermochromic VO2 coatings grown by ac dual magnetron cathode sputtering

High quality of thermochromic VO2 coatings were grown onto ITO-coated quartz by thermal oxidation of ac magnetron sputtered vanadium oxide films. The thermochromic properties of VO2 coatings were investigated by means of IR transmittance and Raman scattering measurements as a function of temperature (up to 100 °C). It is observed that the IR transmittance of VO2 decreased by increasing temperature, that is the signature of the semiconductor-to-metallic transition (SMT). The associated transition temperature was found to be around 56 °C. At room temperature, the Raman analysis showed only the presence of vibrational modes of the pure VO2 phase. However, the temperature dependent Raman measurements showed that the scattered signals decreased by increasing the temperature and they disappeared completely when the VO2 switched to its metallic state. The structural phase transition from a monoclinic crystalline structure (at room temperature) to a tetragonal rutile type structure (at high temperature) appeared at relatively high temperature (~ 75 °C) compared to the SMT transition temperature (~ 56 °C). The evolution of vibrational Raman modes in the heating and cooling cycles showed relatively large hysteresis (~ 10 °C).

Magnetron sputtering cathode for inward enlargement of doughnut-shaped plasma discharge area

A unique magnetron sputtering cathode with a pinhole-centered permanent magnet has been developed for an inward enlargement of doughnut-shaped plasma discharge. Both a pinhole-centered permanent magnet and a tilt of magnetization vector to the normal to the top surface of the target play an important role for the inward enlargement of the plasma discharge area. The radial differentiated radial component of magnetic field strength, d|Br|/dr, near the center is useful to explain the inward enlargement of the plasma discharge area. By the means of the tilt of magnetic field lines at 45° to the normal to the target surface, the magnetic field lines are compressed near the target center compared with conventional magnetron cathodes, and which also provides strong magnetic mirror configuration near the target center. The target utilization efficiency by volume ratio was ~50 % in the use of proposed magnetron cathode. An aluminum deposition rate of ~6.7 nm/min was obtained under experimental conditions with a target-substrate distance of 150 mm, Ar gas pressure of 0.2 Pa, and DC input power of 100 W.

Tunable microstructures and morphology of zirconium films via an assist of magnetic field in HiPIMS for improved mechanical properties

Although HiPIMS technology has been widely studied, its optimization still remains in the adjustment of the experimental parameters acting on the ions, such as impulse mode, due to the inherent complexity of partially magnetized plasma of HiPIMS. Herein, recapture and re-energy of electrons by the assistance of the A-type magnetic field configuration, constructed by field coupling of the cathode magnetron and the auxiliary magnets mounted behind the substrate holder, was proposed. The dynamic behavior of the ions is attempted to be guided by exploiting electron recapture. The studies on the plasma diagnosis by optical emission spectroscopy and magnetic field simulation revealed that when the cathodic discharge remains constant, the characteristics of the deposition plasma in front of the substrate can be altered. Zirconium films were prepared under the a-HiPIMS mode (operated with the A-type magnetic configuration) and the conventional HiPIMS mode. Results showed that the Zr films prepared in the a-HiPIMS mode exhibited smoother surface, denser morphology, finer grains, higher homogenous thickness distribution, higher hardness, enhanced elastic recovery and higher value of the ratios H/E⁎ and H3/E⁎2. The mechanism of microstructure evolution of Zr film was discussed. It demonstrated that the action of the A-type magnetic configuration can densify the Zr film, without the need for high energy ion bombardment. The A-type magnetic field configuration provided an alternative strategy for compensating for the shortcoming of substrate bias in HiPIMS, invalidity to electrical insulating substrates, in terms of the dense film.

Capacitive properties of zinc oxide thin films by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering

The study focused on the production of zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films as a dielectric material for use in metal–insulator–semiconductor capacitors. The objective of this study has demonstrated the frequency dependence of conductivity and capacity. Zinc oxide (ZnO) was thin films deposited by a silicon wavelength sputtering\\magnetron cathode sputtering. The capacitive properties of ZnO zinc oxide were studied at room temperature. The frequency dependence of the conductivity, capacitance and the measured current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of ZnO zinc oxide thin films were studied in the frequency range from 5 kHz to 13 MHz. It is shown that the conductivity is total. Indeed, the measurement of the conductivity in alternating regime obeys the Arrhenius equation. In addition, the measured I–V characteristics of the structures studied at 10 kHz and 10 MHz clearly revealed areas of accumulation, depletion and inversion in the plots. It has been observed that AC conductivity and capacity in the ZnO thin films (ZnO) are frequency dependent. This dependence indicates that the conduction is thermally activated and maintains the correlated barrier of the charge carrier on the localized states as a function of the experimental data. The FBAR (expand) devices with the ZnO films exhibited a pronounced resonance peak centered at 537 MHz with a k2 coupling coefficient of 7%. It found therefore that the impedance matching of the FBAR could be easily achieved simply by controlling the resonance the resonator.

Study of plasma dynamics in a pulsed hollow cathode magnetron

Study of the hollow cathode magnetron (HCM) discharge, which is supplied by a source of powerful current pulses, was carried out. By means of probe and spectral measurements, the dynamics of a pulsed discharge was studied. The results show that a high density plasma (ne > 1012 cm-3) is generated at a distance of 20 cm from the HCM. Based on the data obtained, a mechanism for the formation and development of a discharge was proposed.

Effect of electron injection on the parameters of a pulsed planar magnetron

We have explored the influence of supplementary electron injection on the operational parameters of a planar magnetron operating in repetitively pulsed mode (repetition rate 300 Hz, pulse duration 50–100 μs). The supplementary electron flux was provided from the plasma of an auxiliary hollow-cathode glow discharge and was accelerated directly into the magnetron cathode layer. We show that this supplementary electron injection eliminates magnetron ignition delay and increases the sputtered ion current from the magnetron plasma.

2D PIC-MCC simulations of magnetron plasma in HiPIMS regime with external circuit

2D particle simulations of plasma evolution in high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) are very scarce. Short HiPIMS unipolar pulses ( plateau at constant ) are applied on a planar magnetron cathode with a metal target operated in pure argon at . The model begins with a pre-ionised gas before the pulse, defined as a typical direct current (DC) discharge (). Applying the voltage pulse leads to a sharp increase in the current. The external circuit is reduced to a simple resistance connected in series with the discharge. Both the discharge and the resistance are fed by the HiPIMS power supply. HiPIMS voltage and current evolution during the pulse and the near afterglow are self-consistently obtained from the particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision (PIC-MCC) simulation. Results for three values of the external resistance (, and ) show that, at least for this range, the pulse current plateau value is inversely proportional to the resistance, exceeding for the lowest resistance for target diameter. Comparison with experiment shows that by reducing the external resistance to the pulse current exceeds , in agreement with the discharge voltage and current waveforms found in the model. The microscopic PIC-MCC approach gives access to a set of plasma parameters, some of which, close to the target, have never been explored before. Generally, the voltage drop across the ionisation region (IR) is found to be higher than the voltage in the cathode sheath (CS), in line with the prediction of the ionisation region model (IRM), emphasising the importance of Ohmic heating in HiPIMS. Additionally, the model shows that a transitory double layer separates the IR from the CS, as is also seen with probe measurements. The ambipolar diffusion feeds the diffusion region volume with a plasma density which is typically one order of magnitude below the average density in the IR that exceeds for the external resistance. The electron energy distribution function is composed of at least two Maxwell distributions during the pulse. The temperatures of different electron populations relax along the pulse plateau and tend to approximately the same value. The electron temperature is highest during the sharp increase in current, characterised by a peak in the electron density at this instant, even though the current is far below its plateau value. This increase in density is consistent with experimental findings by optical emission spectroscopy. The ions bombarding the target are spread out on a larger race track compared to the DC case and the typical average ion energy is approximately half of the cathode–anode voltage, due to the voltage drop being split between the CS and the IR. The evolution of the plasma parameters and the effect of the power are also discussed.

Ion mass-to-charge ratio in planar magnetron plasma with electron injections

The mass-to-charge ratio of ions in the plasma of a planar magnetron with central or peripheral electron injection was measured. Two modes of magnetron discharge were used: DC (up to 200 mA) and pulsed (up to 5 A, 50 µs, 300 Hz). The mass-to-charge measurements were made by using a modified quadrupole mass spectrometer. Experiments were carried out with copper magnetron cathode (target) and argon as operating gas. The analysis suggests that decreasing the operating pressure from 1.5 × 10−3 to 5 × 10−4 Torr increases the argon ion fraction by approximately 10%–30%. Increase in the amplitude of the magnetron pulsed current from 1 to 5 A increases the Cu ion fraction from 35% to 83%. At a constant operating pressure and magnetron discharge current, the ion mass-to-charge ratio of ions in plasma is little affected by injected electron current.

Surface processes at the first stage of magnetron cathode Pd-Pd5Ba activation

The electron emission of palladium-barium cathodes is highly effective due to the active BaO substance formation of low work function on the cathode surface (2.3 eV). The work function is a universal parameter characterizing the emission capacity of material. The degree of cathode surface coverage with the emission-active layer and distribution uniformity specificate such important parameters as the emission current and homogeneity of the cathode surface. The active metal – barium – is part of the activation phase – Pd5Ba intermetallic compound. The active substance layer is formed during the activation by vacuum cathode heat treatment. At thermal Pd5Ba dissociation, diffusing Ba atoms flux through the defects in the crystal structure of a palladium matrix to be oxidized by the residual oxygen locked in a device. This article is a first attempt to analyze the correlation of emission-active substance distribution over the cathode surface with the mechanisms of barium diffusion in the emitter. At the first stages of thermal activation, BaO active substance was locatized on the palladium-barium cathode surface by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high spatial resolution electron probe microanalysis. The analysis reveals that Ba atoms fluxing through grain boundaries form a line of the emission-active substance along the grain boundaries. The line width is in the region of several microns. In places of triple joints, BaO formations are mostly sizeable. BaO nanoparticles are formed on the surface of individual grains due to Ba diffusion through dislocation tubes. The series of vacuum cathode annealing showed that at T = 750 °C, BaO reproduction from diffusing Ba atoms does not compensate for the BaO evaporation rate. The annealing process, carried out for 30 min at T = 900 °C, has led to the active layer formation along the grain boundaries and to the formation of BaO nanoparticles on the surface of some grains. We introduce an original technique for assessing the surface coverage degree of a cathode covered with an emission-active substance. The technique implies using electronic microimages processed with the ImageMagick.

Stabilization of tetragonal ZrO2 by oxygen plasma treatment of sputtered ZrCu and ZrAl thin films

The stabilization of tetragonal zirconium dioxide (zirconia) by doping at room temperature has already been carried out with dopant materials like Y or Mg. Also alternative dopants like Al and Cu have been investigated using reactive sputtering processes at elevated temperatures with oxygen as a reactive gas. In the present work we investigate if stabilization is possible by dopants like Al and Cu which are added by means of non-reactive sputtering in a dual cathode magnetron sputtering device. Because it is expected that the stabilization depends on the dopant concentration, the Zr coatings were produced with a dopant gradient. So it was possible to investigate many different compositions with only few samples. This dopant gradient could be produced with a modification of the substrate holder in the sputtering chamber where a small wall partially shadows the vapor beam of the dopant. After production of the metallic ZrAl and ZrCu samples, first their chemical composition was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in a scanning electron microscope. Then they were treated with oxygen plasma. Depth profiles were recorded by Auger electron spectroscopy to investigate the progress of the oxidation. For crystallographic analysis X-ray diffraction was used. The surface morphology was measured with an atomic force microscope.The results show that the stabilization worked successfully with Cu while for Al no formation of the tetragonal phase was observed and the films remained essentially amorphous. The results show that oxygen plasma treatment is a viable and fast way to transform doped metallic Zr films into tetragonal Zirconia.