A spectroscopic study of DC magnetron and RF coil plasmas in ionised physical vapour deposition

Emission spectroscopy in the visible and UV during ionised physical vapour deposition has been used to investigate the effects of a secondary inductiv e coil on magnetron sputter deposition of metal cathode targets. Atomic and ionic emission lines of the sputtering gas and sputtered metal were identi fied, and line intensity measurements were used to investigate the sputteri ng, excitation and ionisation of metal in the magnetron and RF plasmas. Ion isation of sputtered material by the magnetron plasma was found to be signi ficant, and it was found that sputtering of material from the RF coil could be eliminated by the insertion of a capacitor in the external RF power cir cuit between the coil and earth. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.