SPATIAL PROFILE OF DEPOSITED ENERGY BY THE SPUTTERED FLUX IN A GLOW-DISCHARGE

We present a self-consistent analysis of a glow discharge sputtering s ystem where the generation of the energetic particles that bombard the cathode, the sputtering process, and the transport through the plasma of the emitted particles from the cathode, are evaluated as coupled p rocesses. Within this scheme we calculate the radial spatial profile o f the deposited energy onto the film, carried by the flux of sputtered particles; the influence of the gas pressure and the vacuum chamber g eometry are both discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.