Ionized metal physical vapor deposition (IMPVD) is a process in which sputt
ered metal atoms from a magnetron target are ionized by a secondary plasma,
accelerated into the substrate, and deposited with moderately anisotropic
fluxes. The momentum and energy transfer from the sputtered metal atoms and
ion-produced reflected neutrals to the background gas, sputter heating, pr
oduces rarefaction which influences the operating characteristics of the di
scharge. To address these processes, a model was developed to simulate the
sputtering of metal atoms and their transport in IMPVD reactors. The model
accounts for the ion-energy-dependent yield and kinetic energy of the sputt
ered and reflected atoms, and for sputter heating. The model was validated
by comparing its results to experimentally measured metal atom densities an
d the ionization fraction of the deposition flux. Sputter heating as a func
tion of auxiliary ionization and magnetron power in an inductively coupled
plasma IMPVD reactor for Al deposition was then investigated. Sputter heati
ng produces rarefaction of the buffer gas which results in a redistribution
of Al species in the reactor compared to the absence of sputter heating. C
onsequently, the ionization fraction of the depositing metal flux decreases
, while the magnitude of the flux increases. The minimum Ar density due to
sputter heating is regulated by heat transfer to the target. The electron d
ensity increases significantly with the addition of a small amount of metal
atoms to the plasma. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(0
0)04410-8].