Pattern Formation in High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) Plasmas

Abstract

High power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) plasmas produce a very energetic growth flux for the synthesis of thin films with superior properties. High power densities in the range of a few $\hbox {kW}/\hbox {cm}^2$ are applied to a metal target electrode in short pulses with a length of 10–$400\,\upmu \hbox {s}$ and duty cycles of a few percent or less in an argon plasma gas. Fast camera and probe measurements revealed the formation of very characteristic plasma patterns that become visible as rotating localized ionization zones, so called spokes. The appearance of these spokes at high plasma powers is believed to be essential for the good performance of HiPIMS plasmas. The rotation direction of the spokes is in $\vec {E} \times \vec {B}$ direction at high plasma powers, but in retrograde $\vec {E} \times \vec {B}$ direction at low plasma powers. This characteristic behavior is explained by applying a simple drift wave model from literature and comparing the dispersion relation of those waves with measured data. The pronounced rotation reversal is explained by either a change in the governing density gradient in the plasma or by the change in the direction of the streaming ions during the transition from an argon dominated regime at low powers to a metal dominated regime at high powers.