On the Deposition Rates of Magnetron Sputtered Thin Films at Oblique Angles

We describe here the deposition of thin films using magnetron sputtering at oblique angles. General relations between the deposition rates of the films and experimental parameters, such as gas pressure or substrate tilt angles, are deduced and experimentally tested. The model also permits the direct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plasma processes and polymers 2014-06, Vol.11 (6), p.571-576
Main Authors: Alvarez, Rafael, Garcia-Martin, Jose M., Lopez-Santos, Maria C., Rico, Victor, Ferrer, Francisco J., Cotrino, Jose, Gonzalez-Elipe, Agustin R., Palmero, Alberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Camber
Deposition
deposition rates
Magnetron sputtering
Mathematical models
Mean free path
modeling
oblique angle deposition
R&D
Research & development
Solar energy
Thin films
Tilt
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Summary:We describe here the deposition of thin films using magnetron sputtering at oblique angles. General relations between the deposition rates of the films and experimental parameters, such as gas pressure or substrate tilt angles, are deduced and experimentally tested. The model also permits the direct determination of the thermalization mean free path of the sputtered particles in the plasma gas, a key parameter defining the balance between ballistic and diffusive flows in the deposition reactor. The good agreement between experimental and calculated results supports the validity of our description, which becomes a useful tool to explain the main features of the magnetron sputtering deposition of thin films at oblique angles. A simple formula relating the deposition rates for the magnetron sputtered thin films at oblique angles, the background pressure of the gases and the tilt angles of the substrate is derived for general conditions. This formula is experimentally tested, finding a good agreement in all the studied cases, even in conditions where the Keller–Simmons formula is not applicable.
ISSN:1612-8850
1612-8869
DOI:10.1002/ppap.201300201