MONTE-CARLO SIMULATION OF ARGON ATOMS TRANSPORT DURING DEPOSITION OF W THIN-FILMS BY RF-DC COUPLED MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

RF power and DC bias have been simultaneously applied to the target in a conventional magnetron sputtering system in order to control the gr owth kinetics of W thin films using argon gas for sputtering. A Monte Carlo simulation based on physical models of ion-plasma sputtering was carried out to study the dependence of Ar concentration in the tungst en film on the parameters of the discharge, and on the flow of argon a toms onto the substrates. An energy of 180 eV was proposed as a thresh old for accommodating Ar atoms in growing W films. (C) 1997 Elsevier S cience Ltd; All rights reserved.