MICROSTRUCTURAL MODIFICATION OF TIN DEPOSITED BY MAGNETRON ION PLATING - INFLUENCE OF MAGNETIC-FIELD CONFIGURATION

Three operating modes of a single magnetron were used during depositio n processes: balanced magnetron configuration with no external magneti c field and no bias potential applied (magnetron only), balanced magne tron configuration with permanent magnet cages positioned around the d eposition volume to form a closed field configuration (BM mode) and an unbalanced magnetron closed field configuration (UBM mode). The influ ence of the deposition rate and ion j(i) to deposited metal atom j(m) flux ratio j(i)/j(m) at the substrate surface on the texture evolution was discussed. The deposition rate distribution over the target to su bstrate distance was found to depend on magnetic field configuration a nd also to be different in metallic and reactive mode. In UBM mode it was possible to obtain nearly constant bias current density along the deposition volume at the constant bias potential. The preferred crysta lline orientation was changed from (200) to (111) by increasing target to substrate distance in both BM and UBM modes, while the film deposi ted in magnetron-only configuration preserved (111) texture. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.