Time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy of a unipolar and a bipolar pulsed magnetron sputtering discharge in an argon/oxygen gas mixture with a cobalt target

0518879 - FZÚ 2020 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Hippler, Rainer - Čada, Martin - Straňák, Vítězslav - Hubička, Zdeněk
Time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy of a unipolar and a bipolar pulsed magnetron sputtering discharge in an argon/oxygen gas mixture with a cobalt target.
Plasma Sources Science & Technology. Roč. 28, Nov (2019), s. 1-13, č. článku 115020. ISSN 0963-0252. E-ISSN 1361-6595
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) EF16_019/0000760; GA ČR GA19-00579S; GA MPO FV30177
Grant - others:OP VVV - SOLID21(XE) CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000760
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : magnetron sputtering * HiPIMS * bipolar pulse * time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy * ion mass spectrometry
OECD category: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics)
Impact factor: 3.193, year: 2019
Method of publishing: Open access

Reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) of a cobalt cathode in pure argon gas and with different oxygen admixtures was investigated by time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and time-integrated energy-resolved mass spectrometry. The HiPIMS discharge was operated with a bipolar pulsed power supply capable of providing a large negative voltage with a typical pulse width of 100 μs followed by a long positive pulse with a pulse width of about 350 μs. The HiPIMS plasma in pure argon is dominated by Co+ ions. With the addition of oxygen, O+ ions become the second most prominent positive ion species. OES reveals the presence of Ar I, Co I, O I, and Ar II emission lines. The transition from an Ar+ to a Co+ ion sputtering discharge is inferred from time-resolved OES. The enhanced intensity of excited Ar+* ions is explained by simultaneous excitation and ionisation induced by energetic secondary electrons from the cathode.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0303898