Impact Factor: 4.124

Journal: Plasma Sources Science and Technology

Key Words: IVDF; BP-HiPIMS; auxiliary anode; solenoidal coil; ion acceleration; plasma double layer

Abstract: Investigating the ion dynamics in the emerging bipolar pulse high power impulse magnetron sputtering (BP-HiPIMS) discharge is necessary and important for broadening its industrial applications. Recently, an optimized plasma source operating the BP-HiPIMS with an auxiliary anode and a solenoidal coil is proposed to enhance the plasma flux and energy, named as ACBP-HiPIMS (‘A’－anode, ‘C’－coil). In the present work, the temporal evolutions of the ion velocity distribution functions (IVDF) in BP-HiPIMS and ACBP-HiPIMS discharges are measured using a retarding field energy analyser (RFEA). For the BP-HiPIMS discharge, operated at various positive pulse voltages U+, the temporal evolutions of IVDFs illustrate that there are two high-energy peaks, E1 and E2, which are both lower than the applied U+. The ratio of the mean ion energy Ei,mean to the applied U+ is around 0.55－0.6 at various U+. In ACBP-HiPIMS discharge, the IVDF evolution shows three distinguishable stages which has the similar evolution trend with the floating potential Vf on the RFEA frontplate: (i) the stable stage with two high-energy peaks (E2 and E3 with energy respectively lower and higher than the applied U+ amplitude) when the floating potential Vf is close to the applied positive pulse voltage; (ii) the transition stage with low-energy populations when the Vf drops by ~20 V within ~10 μs; and (iii) the oscillation stage with alternating E2 and E3 populations and ever-present E1 population when the Vf slighly descreases unitl to the end of positive pulse. The comparison of IVDFs in BP-HiPIMS and ACBP-HiPIMS suggests that both the mean ion energy and high-energy ion flux have been effectively improved in ACBP-HiPIMS discharge. The formation of floating potential drop is explored using the Langmuir probe which may be attributed to the establishment of anode double layer structure. The acceleration of ion at the double layer boundary is analysed using a theoretical model, in this way to clarify the oscillation in IVDF evolutions in ACBP-HiPIMS discharge.

First Author: Mingyue Han

Indexed by: Journal paper

First-Level Discipline: Physics

Document Type: J

Volume: 31

Page Number: 025036

Translation or Not: no

Date of Publication: 2022-09-15

Included Journals: SCI