Ion kinetic energy control in dual plasma deposition of thin films

Dual plasma deposition based on plasma immersion ion implantation and plasm a deposition is a fledgling technique for the fabrication of functional thi n films. One of its advantages is the easy adjustment of the ion kinetic en ergy during the process. It is straightforward to control the ion kinetic e nergy during the fabrication of conducting thin films on conducting substra tes by simply varying the negative dc voltage applied to the targets. Howev er, for the fabrication of insulating thin films or film deposition on insu lating substrates, charge accumulation makes it difficult for ions to attai n the proper kinetic energy. In these cases, a pulse or ac voltage is commo nly employed. In this article, we theoretically investigate the process win dow in dual plasma deposition with respect to the pulse width and frequency of the applied voltage to avoid electrical breakdown of the film as well a s large ion kinetic energy deviation. The model can deal with the depositio n of insulating thin films on conducting or insulating substrates. (C) 2001 American Vacuum Society.