NUMERICAL MODELING OF CHARGED-PARTICLE MOTION IN ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC-FIELDS TO ASSIST MAGNETRON DESIGN

The growing demands on the performance of magnetron sputter sources re quire the improvement of existing equipment, the realization of new id eas and the more detailed understanding of the sputter process physics . In this paper the possibilities and methods of magnetron preoptimiza tion by numerical modelling are discussed regarding various model tool s. The primary problem in magnetron development is to achieve a good t hickness uniformity of the deposited layer on the substrate. Therefore the optimization of the erosion track and deposition geometry is esse ntial. The erosion track location is determined by the magnetic field. Model calculations of film thickness distributions and magnetic field s are reported and compared with experimental measurements with the do uble ring magnetron DRM 250. A Monte-Carlo model for the motion of cha rged particles in electric and magnetic fields gives a qualitative and quantitative image of the sputter process in the target vicinity and of the charged particle stream on to the substrate. These results are helpful for the further optimization of target geometry and electric a nd magnetic field configuration. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.