SPUTTER-COATING Sputter coating is a cold process in which ions impacting a metal source dislodge metal atoms This is unli!

e e"aporati"e coating or ph#sical "apor deposition $P%&' which in"ol"es su(limation o) a metal at high temperatures and high "acuum The metal "apor spra#s the specimen adhering to an# e*posed sur)aces Since the metal is hot+ some specimens can get damaged In sputter coating the atoms disperse throughout the process cham(er in a wa# that ade,uatel# coats irregularl# shaped specimens without tilting or rotating them Since the atoms are cool+ there is no thermal damage It is a process that produces clouds o) metal atoms+ which ena(les uni)orm+ high ,ualit# and repeata(le coatings -esides+ the coating is done in so)t "acuum o) the order o) ./-0/ millitorr Ioni1ed gas atoms are hea"# (ut with an initial low !inetic energ# This !inetic energ# (uilds up as the# accelerate through the electric )ield 2ith high !inetic energ#+ some o) the ions will smash into a negati"el# charged metal sur)ace or sputter source and dislodge metal atoms These metal atoms can )loat around and will e"entuall# adhere to a specimen Argon gas is t#picall# used (ecause it promotes a higher sputtering rate Plasma is produced )or plating in a cham(er with a negati"el# charged source at the top and a positi"el# charged stage at the (ottom &uring plate mode+ the cham(er is e"acuated (# a "acuum pump+ and the operating gasargon enters through an ad3usta(le lea! "al"e The plasma )orms when a high "oltage is applied (etween the source and stage Ions accelerate toward the source with energ# proportional to the "oltage applied In general+ higher "oltage will produce more ions+ which increases the sputter rate and the current 2hile ions mo"e towards the source+ energetic electrons mo"e in the opposite direction Using a magnet located within the source+ which di"erts the electrons awa# )rom the specimen (# the magnetic )ield alle"iates heating o) the sample A t#pical "oltage current used )or sputtering gold or gold- palladium is as gi"en (elow4 %acuum4 ./-0/ millitorr %oltage4 0 and 5 "olts Current4 67 milliamps Time4 8 minutes )or a coating thic!ness o) 9nm

Sputter

deposition

of

thin

films

The sputtering process is

hit a sur)ace with an ion $energ# more than sa# 6//e%' this ion creates a cascade collisions in the sur)ace o)

multiple collisions e3ect $or :sputter:' atoms )rom the sur)ace

The num(er o) atoms e3ected per incoming ion is the sputter #ield A target material with a high sputter #ield $sa# sil"er' will sputter much )aster than a material with a low sputter #ield $sa# Al;O8'
Sputter #ields $)or 7// e% Ar ions' material sputter yield

Sil"er Gold Al Si SiO; Al;O8 The sputter #ield depends on 4

; 0/ 6 9/ 6 // / 7/ / ;8 / /7

Copper ; //

The target atom species The incoming ion The energ# o) the incoming ion

The #ield "aries widel# (etween di))erent target atoms As the ta(le shows compounds tend to sputter much more slowl# than elements Sputtering is a relati"el# high energ# process+ the sputtered atoms lea"e with se"eral e% $much higher than e"aporated atoms which ha"e around / 6e%' This high energ# is "er# good )or the thin )ilm growth process It leads to hard dense )ilms

In ion (eam sputtering the process is 3ust as we descri(e a(o"e+ an ion (eam hitting a target+ these ions sputter atoms )rom the target+ these sputtered atoms cross the "acuum and )orm a growing thin )ilm In magnetron sputtering the source o) ions is a plasma a(o"e the target A large negati"e "oltage )rom the sputter power supppl# is applied to the target sur)ace Positi"e ions )rom the plasma are accelerated into the target sur)ace (# this applied "oltage The ions hitting the sur)ace 4a sputter the target atoms out to )orm a thin )ilm ( release secondar# electrons to sustain the plasma The tric! in a magnetron is the use o) a magnetic )ield to trap these secondar# electrons This allows the magnetron to
a.

run at lower pressure $!eeping arri"al energies high and gi"ing good thin )ilm microstructure'

( ha"e a high plasma densit# and so gi"e (etter sputter deposition rates Standard ph#sical sputtering is dri"en (# momentum e*change (etween the ions and atoms in the material+ due to collisions $-ehrisch 6506+ Sigmund 6509' The process can (e thought o) as atomic (illiards+ with the ion $cue (all' stri!ing a large cluster o) close-pac!ed atoms $(illiard (alls' Although the )irst collision pushes atoms deeper into the cluster+ su(se,uent collisions (etween the atoms can result in some o) the atoms near the sur)ace (eing e3ected awa# )rom the cluster The num(er o) atoms e3ected )rom the sur)ace per incident particle is called the sputter yield and is an important measure o) the e))icienc# o) the sputtering process Other things the sputter #ield depends on are the energ# o) the incident ions+ the masses o) the ions and target atoms+ and the (inding energ# o) atoms in the solid The ions )or the sputtering process are supplied either (# a plasma that is induced in the sputtering e,uipment+ or an ion or electron accelerator In the plasma sputtering de"ices+ a "ariet# o) techni,ues are used to modi)# the plasma properties+ especiall# ion densit#+ to achie"e the optimum sputtering conditions+ including usage o) R< $radio )re,uenc#' alternating current+ utili1ation o) magnetic )ields+ and application o) a (ias "oltage to the target Numerous di))erent "arieties o) sputtering e*ist The one descri(ed a(o"e is strictl# spea!ing standard physical sputtering in the linear cascade regime This means that the sputtering is induced (# a se,uence o) (inar# collisions (etween atoms with !inetic energies clearl# higher than the cohesi"e energ# o) the solid $== 6/ e%' It can (e ,ualitati"el# well understood with the (illiard (all analog# descri(ed a(o"e+ although in realit# the interatomic interactions are not the same as

)or hard (alls This !ind o) sputtering can (e well predicted theoreticall# with (inar# collision appro*imation codes which simulate the se,uence o) atomic collisions