Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
V. O. Oskirko, A. N. Zakharov, V. A. Semenov, A. P. Pavlov, A. S. Grenadyorov, S. V. Rabotkin, A. A. Solovyev
Summary: Three experiments were conducted on a dual magnetron sputtering system to analyze the effects of pulse duration, discharge current amplitude, and average discharge power on deposition rate, substrate ion current, and ion-to-atom ratio. The results show that decreasing pulse duration increases ion current density, and varying magnetron power supply parameters can provide a wide range of ion-to-atom ratios and film growth conditions.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Swetha Suresh Babu, Martin Rudolph, Daniel Lundin, Tetsuhide Shimizu, Joel Fischer, Michael A. Raadu, Nils Brenning, Jon Tomas Gudmundsson
Summary: The ionization region model (IRM) was used to simulate a high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharge with a tungsten target. The study found that the initial peak in the discharge current was caused by argon ions bombarding the cathode target, after which W+ ions became the dominant ions and contributed to the total discharge current. Additionally, the findings were in good agreement with experimentally determined deposition rates.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
H. Eliasson, M. Rudolph, N. Brenning, H. Hajihoseini, M. Zanaska, M. J. Adriaans, M. A. Raadu, T. M. Minea, J. T. Gudmundsson, D. Lundin
Summary: By applying the ionization region model (IRM), it is found that in high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharge in argon with a graphite target, Ar+ ions dominate the discharge current, while the ionization of carbon atoms remains challenging.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
J. T. Gudmundsson, J. Fischer, B. P. Hinriksson, M. Rudolph, D. Lundin
Summary: The ionization region model (IRM) is used to model high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharges with a Cu target. By applying the model to three previously explored discharges and thin copper film deposition, the internal plasma process parameters are quantified to understand the differences between these discharges. It is found that Cu+ ions dominate the ion current to the target surface and that self-sputter recycling is the main mechanism for reaching high discharge currents.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
M. Rudolph, N. Brenning, H. Hajihoseini, M. A. Raadu, T. M. Minea, A. Anders, J. T. Gudmundsson, D. Lundin
Summary: The magnetic field is a key feature that distinguishes magnetron sputtering from simple diode sputtering. This article analyzes the influence of the magnetic field on electron density and temperature, discharge voltage distribution, and electron heating mechanism in high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharges. The results provide insights into adjusting electron density and temperature, as well as their impact on ionization probability.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
V. O. Oskirko, V. D. Semenov, A. A. Solovyev, S. Rabotkin, A. P. Pavlov, A. N. Zakharov
Summary: High-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) is a new and rapidly developing method for physical vapor deposition of thin films. Compared to conventional DC magnetron sputtering (DCMS) and mid-frequency magnetron sputtering (MFMS), HiPIMS coatings show better properties. However, HiPIMS has some drawbacks that make its application challenging. This paper proposes an analytical simulation model to describe the discharge current and voltage during arcing in HiPIMS. It also compares different types of HiPIMS power supplies and investigates the effect of arc energy on the defects in the obtained coatings.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Martin Rudolph, Adrien Revel, Daniel Lundin, Hamidreza Hajihoseini, Nils Brenning, Michael A. Raadu, Andre Anders, Tiberiu M. Minea, Jon Tomas Gudmundsson
Summary: The study applies the ionization region model and the Orsay Boltzmann equation for electrons to analyze the electron kinetics of HiPIMS discharge, demonstrating a strong agreement between the two models. The assumption of a bi-Maxwellian electron energy distribution is a good approximation for modeling the discharge.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Swetha Suresh Babu, Martin Rudolph, Peter John Ryan, Joel Fischer, Daniel Lundin, James W. Bradley, Jon Tomas Gudmundsson
Summary: In this study, we compared the ionization region model (IRM) with experimental measurements to analyze particle densities and electron temperature in a high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharge. The semi-empirical model accurately predicted the temporal variations of various species densities and electron energy based on measured discharge current and voltage waveforms for a specific cathode target material. Although the model underestimated electron density and overestimated electron temperature, it successfully captured the temporal trends of species densities and electron temperature.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Michal Zanaska, Daniel Lundin, Nils Brenning, Hao Du, Pavel Dvorak, Petr Vasina, Ulf Helmersson
Summary: The study explores the plasma potential variations during a bipolar HiPIMS discharge with a Cu target, aiming to identify conditions for achieving ion acceleration independent of substrate grounding. By analyzing the characteristics of plasma potential under different discharge conditions, including pressure, peak current, pulse length, and voltage amplitude, suitable conditions for ion acceleration in the target region were identified. Furthermore, a simple theory linking the plasma potential profile to the ratio of target electron current to ion saturation current at the chamber walls was described through investigation of target current and ion saturation current.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Heda Bai, Jin Li, Jialai Gao, Jinyang Ni, Yaxiong Bai, Jie Jian, Lin Zhao, Bowen Bai, Zeyun Cai, Jianchao He, Hongsheng Chen, Xuesong Leng, Xiangli Liu
Summary: This article reviews the microstructure and mechanical properties of CrN coatings fabricated through direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) and high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) techniques. Compared to DCMS, HiPIMS demonstrates superior mechanical attributes, thus receiving significant research interest. However, HiPIMS also has potential shortcomings.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
R. Hippler, M. Cada, A. Mutzke, Z. Hubicka
Summary: The study investigates the relationship between the pulse length and discharge characteristics of a reactive HiPIMS discharge with a tungsten cathode in an argon+oxygen gas mixture. The discharge is operated with pulse lengths varying from 20-500 μs. Measurements of discharge current, optical emission spectroscopy, and energy-resolved ion mass spectrometry were conducted. The results show a significant dependence of discharge current on pulse length, as well as a decrease in ion ratios due to target cleaning. Simulation results reveal the formation of a non-stoichiometric sub-surface compound layer, which depends on the impinging ion composition and pulse length.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
P. Moskovkin, C. Maszl, R. Schierholz, W. Breilmann, J. Petersen, A. Pflug, J. Muller, M. Raza, S. Konstantinidis, A. von Keudell, S. Lucas
Summary: The study focuses on correlating basic plasma properties with morphological, structural and mechanical properties of thin films deposited by high power impulse magnetron sputtering. By studying the deposition and growth of titanium films at various discharge power densities, a transition from thermally-driven to ballistically-driven Ti atom mobility was revealed. Changes in micro-crystal orientation and nano hardness of the films were observed as discharge power density increased, alongside non-monotonic variations in surface roughness behavior.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
Andrey Tyunkov, Victor A. Burdovitsin, Efim M. Oks, Maxim Shandrikov, Yury G. Yushkov, Sergey M. Zavadsky, Denis B. Zolotukhin
Summary: This study analyzed the ion mass-to-charge composition of a magnetron discharge plasma with a titanium target operating in different gases. The addition of nitrogen and oxygen to argon affected the ion spectrum significantly, with a dominance of nitrogen ions when the nitrogen fraction was over 15% and the absence of metal ions when oxygen was over 10%. These effects were due to the formation of nitride and oxide layers on the titanium target surface, inhibiting the introduction of metal ions in the plasma.
PLASMA PROCESSES AND POLYMERS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Niklas Bonninghoff, Wahyu Diyatmika, Jinn P. Chu, Stanislav Mraz, Jochen M. Schneider, Chien-Liang Lin, Fredrik Eriksson, Grzegorz Greczynski
Summary: This study compared metallic glass thin films deposited by conventional direct current magnetron sputtering (DC) and high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS), finding that HiPIMS films have higher density, reduced columnar structure, higher hardness, and higher Young's modulus compared to DC films.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Chin-Chiuan Kuo, Chun-Hui Lin, Jing-Tang Chang, Yu-Tse Lin
Summary: The microstructure of Zr film is influenced by the energy of plasma species, particularly by the discharge pulse width in HiPIMS process. Increasing argon pressure and substrate biasing decreases the film growth rate, while elongating the HiPIMS pulse width alters the microstructure of films. High charged ions are found during short HiPIMS pulse width at 0.8 Pa argon, leading to changes in film structure.
Article
Physics, Applied
Martin Rudolph, Hamidreza Hajihoseini, Michael A. Raadu, Jon Tomas Gudmundsson, Nils Brenning, Tiberiu M. Minea, Andre Anders, Daniel Lundin
Summary: HiPIMS is a technique that provides a high ionized target species flux for thin film growth, but optimization can be challenging due to the unclear influence of external parameters. A simple method has been proposed to deduce internal discharge parameters based on measured deposition rates, and this approach has been validated using a refined analytical model.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2021)
Editorial Material
Physics, Applied
Andre Anders
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
M. Rudolph, N. Brenning, H. Hajihoseini, M. A. Raadu, T. M. Minea, A. Anders, J. T. Gudmundsson, D. Lundin
Summary: The magnetic field is a key feature that distinguishes magnetron sputtering from simple diode sputtering. This article analyzes the influence of the magnetic field on electron density and temperature, discharge voltage distribution, and electron heating mechanism in high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharges. The results provide insights into adjusting electron density and temperature, as well as their impact on ionization probability.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
Kyunghwan Oh, Dmitry Kalanov, Peter Birtel, Andre Anders
Summary: The study focused on cathode spots in a magnetically steered arc source under different gas atmospheres. Two main types of cathode spots were identified, characterized by erosion of compound layers on the cathode surface and bright spots on metallic surfaces. The motion of cathode spots was observed to be influenced by the presence of a magnetic field and different gases, with distinct behaviors noted for nitrogen and oxygen.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
Afaque M. Hossain, Martin Ehrhardt, Martin Rudolph, Dmitry Kalanov, Pierre Lorenz, Klaus Zimmer, Andre Anders
Summary: This study investigates the morphological development of plasma generated by focusing femtosecond laser in gases and explains it through quantification of temperature. Experimental analysis reveals that plasma produced in air undergoes stages of ellipsoidal to spherical to toroidal development, while plasma in argon experiences axial compression of an ellipsoidal shape. Simulation experiments and temperature measurements demonstrate the effects of pressure gradient and vorticity on plasma morphology in different gases.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
M. Rudolph, A. Revel, D. Lundin, N. Brenning, M. A. Raadu, A. Anders, T. M. Minea, J. T. Gudmundsson
Summary: The population densities of excited states of argon atoms in a HiPIMS discharge are investigated using a global discharge model and a collisional-radiative model. The study reveals that the reduced population density of high-lying excited argon states follows an inverse relationship with the effective quantum number, indicating the presence of excitation saturation.
PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shuai Guo, Wahyu Diyatmika, Yeliz Unutulmazsoy, Lei Yang, Bing Dai, Liangge Xu, Jiecai Han, Victor Ralchenko, Andre Anders, Jiaqi Zhu
Summary: Indium oxide (In2O3) thin films without intentional doping can be deposited with high crystallinity, high electrical conductivity, and high transmittance under specific growth conditions. The highest film crystallinity is observed at 400℃. The films grown at this temperature exhibit competitive electrical properties and have an average transmittance greater than 80% in the visible to near-infrared spectral region.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Physics, Applied
Andre Anders
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
P. Hovsepian, K. Shukla, A. Sugumaran, Y. Purandare, I Khan, A. Ehiasarian
Summary: This study presents a novel method of nitriding CoCrMo alloy using High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS) technology. By enhancing the production of nitrogen ions, the characteristics and performance of the nitrided layer were improved, and the process productivity was increased. The nitrided layer exhibited excellent mechanical and tribological properties, and showed remarkable resistance against corrosion.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Papken Ehiasar Hovsepian, Arunprabhu Arunachalam Sugumaran, Mark Rainforth, Jiahui Qi, Imran Khan, Arutiun Papken Ehiasarian
Summary: This article discusses the application of metal nitride functional coatings in medical implants and the study of the structural and load-bearing capacity of TiN/NbN superlattice coatings. The Berkovich indentation technique was used to analyze the coating material and structural response to localized load. The HIPIMS-UBM process was used to deposit the coatings. The study reveals that the TiN/NbN superlattice coatings have exceptionally high fracture toughness and adhesion, making them suitable for medical implant applications.
JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Jon Tomas Gudmundsson, Andre Anders, Achim von Keudell
Summary: Physical vapor deposition is a method that removes atoms from a solid or liquid and deposits them on a nearby surface to form a thin film or coating. Various techniques are used to release the atoms, with magnetron sputtering being the most widely used technique. This article provides a brief overview of different PVD techniques, focusing on magnetron sputtering, and discusses and compares the advantages and drawbacks of each technique.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
A. P. Ehiasarian, A. A. Sugumaran, P. Eh Hovsepian, C. Davies, P. Hatto
Summary: The plasma synthesis of thin films by physical vapour deposition (PVD) is crucial for driving innovations in modern life. This study combines optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and process parameters to monitor the deposition process, enabling tighter quality control and process repeatability. Additionally, strategies and physics-based models are developed to monitor the development of coating thickness, composition, crystallography, and morphology in real time. This research paves the way for the creation of a digital twin of the PVD process for real-time monitoring and prediction of process outcomes.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Martin Rudolph, Peter Birtel, Thomas Arnold, Andrea Prager, Sergej Naumov, Ulrike Helmstedt, Andre Anders, Patrick C. With
Summary: This study investigates the conversion of two polymeric silicon precursor compound layers (perhydropolysilazane and polydimethylsiloxane) to silicon oxide thin films on a silicon wafer and polyethylene terephthalate substrates using a pulsed atmospheric pressure plasma jet. The film compositions vary depending on the scan velocity and number of treatments, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The proposed mechanism for the conversion process involves precursor decomposition triggered by plasma-produced species, surface oxidation, and oxygen diffusion into the film, while gases from precursor decomposition diffuse out of the film. The balance between the different contributions to the conversion mechanism appears to be crucial for precursor conversion.
PLASMA PROCESSES AND POLYMERS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Afaque M. Hossain, Martin Ehrhardt, Martin Rudolph, Pierre Lorenz, Dmitry Kalanov, Klaus Zimmer, Andre Anders
Summary: Focusing femtosecond laser pulses in gases can lead to different breakdown phenomena in gases, ranging from simple optical breakdown to nonlinear optical breakdown. The dynamics of the plasma formed after the pulse exposure depends on the energy deposited by the laser in the breakdown volume. By using a breakdown model, researchers have estimated the breakdown volume and shown that the energy deposition in this volume determines the characteristics of laser-induced plasma. This study is important in preventing undesired self-focusing conditions during material processing.
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Yeliz Unutulmazsoy, Dmitry Kalanov, Kyunghwan Oh, Soheil Karimi Aghda, Juergen W. Gerlach, Nils Braun, Frans Munnik, Andriy Lotnyk, Jochen M. Schneider, Andre Anders
Summary: Pulsed filtered cathodic arc deposition involves the formation of energetic multiply charged metal ions, and this study investigates the effects of their kinetic and potential energies on thin film formation. By changing the ion charge states using an external magnetic field and adjusting the kinetic energy through biasing the arc source, the researchers were able to decouple the contributions of the ions' kinetic and potential energies. The study shows that the applied magnetic field greatly alters the plasma and enhances film crystallinity.
JOURNAL OF VACUUM SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY A
(2023)