Deposition of fine copper film on samples placed internally and externally to the cathodic cage

The cathodic cage plasma nitriding technique is used for thin film deposition. As such, the hollow cathode effect on cage holes is directly related to deposition efficiency. The objective of this work is to study the influence of the cathode length-to-diameter ratio in the deposition of fine copper films on samples placed internally and externally to the cathodic cage, in an argon atmosphere, for 3 h at 420 degrees C. Compositional, transmittance and morphological characterization of films show copper deposition in all treatments. However, it was observed that substrate temperatures during film deposition influence its morphology. As such, the formation of continuous film on internal samples is observed, whereas external samples show uniformally dispersed nanoparticles as well as the absence of dense film on substrates. As far as the length-to-diameter ratio is concerned, the 1.5 ratio presented the highest deposition efficiency.