• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.20 no.12
• /
• pp.629-635
• /
• 2010

Abstract In this study characteristics of Al-doped ZnO thin film by HIPIMS (High power impulse sputtering) are discussed. Deposition speed of HIPIMS with conventional balanced magnetic field is measured at about 3 nm/min, which is 30% of that of conventional RF sputtering process with the same working pressure. To generate additional magnetic flux and increase sputtering speed, electromagnetic coil is mounted at the back side of target. Under unbalanced magnetic flux from electromagnet with 1.5A coil current, deposition speed of AZO thin film is increased from 3 nm/min to 4.4 nm/min. This new value originates from the decline of particles near target surface due to the local magnetic flux going toward substrate from electromagnet. AZO film sputtered by HIPIMS process shows very smooth and dense film surface for which surface roughness is measured from 0.4 nm to 1 nm. There are no voids or defects in morphology of AZO films with varying of magnetic field. When coil current is increased from 0A to 1A, transmittance of AZO thin film decreases from 80% to 77%. Specific resistance is measured at about $2.9{\times}10-2\Omega{\cdot}cm$. AZO film shows C-axis oriented structure and its grain size is calculated at about 5.3 nm, which is lower than grain size in conventional sputtering.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2012.02a
• /
• pp.96-97
• /
• 2012

In nitride and oxide film deposition, sputtered metals react with nitrogen or oxygen gas in a vacuum chamber to form metal nitride or oxide films on a substrate. The physical properties of sputtered films (metals, oxides, and nitrides) are strongly influenced by magnetron plasma density during the deposition process. Typical target power densities on the magnetron during the deposition process are ~ (5-30) W/cm2, which gives a relatively low plasma density. The main challenge in reactive sputtering is the ability to generate a stable, arc free discharge at high plasma densities. Arcs occur due to formation of an insulating layer on the target surface caused by the re-deposition effect. One current method of generating an arc free discharge is to use the commercially available Pinnacle Plus+ Pulsed DC plasma generator manufactured by Advanced Energy Inc. This plasma generator uses a positive voltage pulse between negative pulses to attract electrons and discharge the target surface, thus preventing arc formation. However, this method can only generate low density plasma and therefore cannot allow full control of film properties. Also, after long runs ~ (1-3) hours, depends on duty cycle the stability of the reactive process is reduced due to increased probability of arc formation. Between 1995 and 1999, a new way of magnetron sputtering called HIPIMS (highly ionized pulse impulse magnetron sputtering) was developed. The main idea of this approach is to apply short ${\sim}(50-100){\mu}s$ high power pulses with a target power densities during the pulse between ~ (1-3) kW/cm2. These high power pulses generate high-density magnetron plasma that can significantly improve and control film properties. From the beginning, HIPIMS method has been applied to reactive sputtering processes for deposition of conductive and nonconductive films. However, commercially available HIPIMS plasma generators have not been able to create a stable, arc-free discharge in most reactive magnetron sputtering processes. HIPIMS plasma generators have been successfully used in reactive sputtering of nitrides for hard coating applications and for Al2O3 films. But until now there has been no HIPIMS data presented on reactive sputtering in cluster tools for semiconductors and MEMs applications. In this presentation, a new method of generating an arc free discharge for reactive HIPIMS using the new Cyprium plasma generator from Zpulser LLC will be introduced. Data (or evidence) will be presented showing that arc formation in reactive HIPIMS can be controlled without applying a positive voltage pulse between high power pulses. Arc-free reactive HIPIMS processes for sputtering AlN, TiO2, TiN and Si3N4 on the Applied Materials ENDURA 200 mm cluster tool will be presented. A direct comparison of the properties of films sputtered with the Advanced Energy Pinnacle Plus + plasma generator and the Zpulser Cyprium plasma generator will be presented.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
• /
• 2012.05a
• /
• pp.3-35
• /
• 2012

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2010.02a
• /
• pp.193-193
• /
• 2010

HIPIMS(High sputtering impulse magnetron sputtering)은 수십 ${\mu}s$의 짧은 pulse 동안 수kw의 매우 높은 파워를 인가할 수 있어 밀도 $10^{13}/cm^3$ 이상의 고밀도 플라즈마 방전이 가능하여 스퍼터된 타겟 이온들의 이온화율이 매우 높은 특징을 가진다. HIPIMS를 통해 증착한 박막의 경우 매우 치밀한 조직을 가지고 있어 기존 DC, Pulsed DC, RF 증착을 통한 박막에 비해 우수한 물성을 보여준다. 본 실험에서는 대면적의 고품위 Al:ZnO 박막을 증착하기위하여 HIPIMS 증착법을 사용하였다. 1000mm폭 타겟상에서 균일한 증착을 위하여 Balanced B-field, Unbalanced field를 각각 인가하여 실험하였다. 시뮬레이션을 통하여 타겟 중심부와 가장자리의 자기장을 결정하였으며, target edge에서의 증착율과 cathode erosion 방지를 위하여 원형 트랙형으로 보조 자석을 설치하였다. $Al_2O_3$(2wt%)가 첨가된 planar target을 사용하였고, power는 700 W~2 kW, 그리고 pulse 폭은 $50-150 {\mu}s$정도로 변화시켜 가면서 상온에서 증착하였다. 플라즈마 가스로는 Ar만을 사용하여 두께는 60-100 nm정도로 증착하였다. Plasma emission monitoring을 통해 측정한 결과 Balanced B-field 에 비해 Unbalanced B-field 조건 에서 스퍼터된 이온들의 균일도가 우수하였으며 증착된 박막의 균일도 또한 증가하였다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2014.02a
• /
• pp.168.2-168.2
• /
• 2014

반사방지막 코팅(Anti-reflection coating)은 태양전지(Solar cell), 발광다이오드(LED) 등의 반사율을 낮추어 효율을 증대시키기 위하여 사용되고 있다. 본 실험에서는 유리 기판 위에 실리콘 타겟을 이용한 반응성 high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) 장비를 활용하여, 높은 공정 압력(High-pressure)에서 펄스폭(Pulse width)을 조절하여 $SiO_2$ 반사방지막 코팅층을 형성하였다. 또한, 기공이 더 많은 박막을 제작하기 위해 빗각증착(Oblique-angle deposition)을 적용하여 더 좋은 광학 특성을 갖는 반사방지막 코팅층을 형성하였다. UV-Vis spectrometer를 이용하여, 380~800 nm 파장에서 투과율(Transmittance)을 측정하여 비교, 분석하였다. Ellipsometer를 이용하여 $SiO_2$ 박막층의 굴절률(Refractive index)을 측정한 결과, 반사방지막 코팅층 내부 기공에 따라 다양한 굴절률을 가지는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 또한, 코팅층 내부 기공의 형상을 확인하기 위해 SEM(Secondary electron microscopy)을 활용하여 코팅층 단면(Cross section)을 측정하였다. 이를 활용하여 낮은 굴절률을 갖는 반사방지용 $SiO_2$ 코팅층을 형성하여 태양전지의 광 변환 효율을 상승 시킬 수 있고, 발광다이오드의 광 추출 효율을 증가시킬 있을 것으로 여겨진다.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.47 no.3
• /
• pp.109-115
• /
• 2014

High power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS), also known as the technology is called peak power density in a short period, you can get high, so high ionization sputtering rate can make. Higher ionization of sputtered species to a variety of coating materials conventional in the field of improving the characteristics and self-assisted ion thin film deposition process, which contributes to a superior being. HIPIMS at the same power, but the deposition speed is slow in comparison with DC disadvantages. Since recently as a replacement for HIPIMS modulated pulse power (MPP) has been developed. This ionization rate of the sputtered species can increase the deposition rate is lowered and at the same time to overcome the problems to be reported. The differences between the MPP and the HIPIMS is a simple single pulse with a HIPIMS whereas, MPP is 3 ms in pulse length is adjustable, with the full set of multi-pulses within the pulse period and the pulse is applied can be micro advantages. In this experiment, $In_2O_3$ : $SnO_2$ composition ratio of 9 : 1 wt% target was used, Ar : $O_2$ flow rate ratio is 4.8 to 13.0% of the rate of deposition was carried out at room temperature. Ar 40 sccm and the flow rate of $O_2$ and then fixed 2 ~ 6 sccm was compared against that. The thickness of the thin film deposition is fixed at 60 nm, when the partial pressure of oxygen at 9.1%, the specific resistance value of $4.565{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}cm$, transmittance 86.6%, mobility $32.29cm^2/Vs$ to obtain the value.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.45 no.6
• /
• pp.232-241
• /
• 2012

Cr-Ti-B-N coatings were synthesized by a hybrid coating system combining high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) and DC pulse magnetron sputtering from a $TiB_2$ and a Cr target in argon-nitrogen environment, respectively. By changing the power applied on the Cr and $TiB_2$ cathodes, the Cr-Ti-B-N coatings with various Ti/Cr ratio and B content were deposited. The phase structure, microstructure and chemical compositions of the Cr-Ti-B-N coatings were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission scanning electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). With increase of Cr element in the coatings, the nanocomposite microstructure consisting of nano-sized (Cr, Ti) N crystallites and amorphous BN phase were obtained in the coatings. The microhardness of the Cr-Ti-B-N coatings exhibited a peak value of ~41 GPa for the $CrTi_{0.1}B_{0.4}N_{1.3}$, and then decreased with further increase of Cr content in the coatings, and all the coatings exhibited low friction coefficient. The oxidation and corrosion behavior of the Cr-Ti-B-N coatings revealed better properties due to the formation of a nanocomposite microstructure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
• /
• 2016.11a
• /
• pp.105-105
• /
• 2016

Recently, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) has attracted considerable attentions due to its high potential for industrial applications. By pulsing the sputtering target with high power density and short duration pulses, a high plasma density and high ionization of the sputtered species can be obtained. HIPIMS has exhibited several merits such as increased coating density, good adhesion, microparticle-free and smooth surface, which make the HIPIMS technique desirable for synthesizing hard coatings. However, hard coatings present intrinsic defects (columnar structures, pinholes, pores, discontinuities) which can affect the corrosion behavior, especially when substrates are active alloys like steel or in a wear-corrosion process. Atomic layer deposition (ALD), a CVD derived method with a broad spectrum of applications, has shown great potential for corrosion protection of high-precision metallic parts or systems. In ALD deposition, the growth proceeds through cyclic repetition of self-limiting surface reactions, which leads to the thin films possess high quality, low defect density, uniformity, low-temperature processing and exquisite thickness control. These merits make ALD an ideal candidate for the fabrication of excellent oxide barrier layer which can block the pinhole and other defects left in the coating structure to improve the corrosion protection of hard coatings. In this work, CrN/Al2O3/CrN multilayered coatings were synthesized by a hybrid process of HIPIMS and ALD techniques, aiming to improve the CrN hard coating properties. The influence of the Al2O3 interlayer addition, the thickness and intercalation position of the Al2O3 layer in the coatings on the microstructure, surface roughness, mechanical properties and corrosion behaviors were investigated. The results indicated that the dense Al2O3 interlayer addition by ALD lead to a significant decrease of the average grain size and surface roughness and greatly improved the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the CrN coatings. The thickness increase of the Al2O3 layer and intercalation position change to near the coating surface resulted in improved mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The mechanism can be explained by that the dense Al2O3 interlayer acted as an excellent barrier for dislocation motion and diffusion of the corrosive substance.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.1017-1024
• /
• 2017

Carbon thin films were deposited by HiPIMS(High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering). The properties and microstructures of carbon thin film were investigated with power, pressure, bias voltage and duty cycle. As the HiPIMS power increased, the deposition thickness increased and the surface tended to be rough. The increase in pressure also tended to make the surface rough, but the deposition thickness was not proportional to the pressure. As the bias voltage increased, the surface roughness became worse, the deposition thickness increased and then decreased from the critical bias voltage. Changes in the duty cycle have caused problems such as arcing, which is affected by the chamber structure and the size of the target. The $sp^2/sp^3$ fractions of thin films were estimated by XPS and it was confirmed that the fraction of thin films made by HiPIMS were larger than the fraction of thin films made by DC sputtering.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2014.02a
• /
• pp.256.2-256.2
• /
• 2014

최근 고출력 펄스 스퍼터링, HPPMS (high power pulsed magnetron sputtering)을 개선한 기술이 개발되고 있다. High power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS)이라고도 불려지는 이 기술은 Kouznetsov1) 에 의해 개발되었으며, 짧은 주기 동안 높은 peak power 밀도를 얻을 수 있기 때문에, 스퍼터링시 높은 이온화율을 만들 수 있다. 스퍼터 된 종들의 높은 이온화는 다양한 분야에서 기존 코팅 물질의 특성 개선 및 self-assisted 이온 증착 공정을 통해 우수한 박막을 제조하는데 기여되고 있다. 그러나 HIPIMS는 순간 전력 밀도가 MW수준으로 높아서 고융점, 고열전도도의 물질에만 적용할 수 있다는 단점을 가지고 있다). 최근에 HIPIMS를 대체하기 위해 modulated pulse POWER (MPP)가 개발되었다. 이것은 스퍼터 된 종들의 이온화율을 높일 수 있음과 동시에 여러 가지 물질에 적용할 수 있다고 보고하고 있다. MPP와 HIPIMS와의 차이점은 HIPIMS는 간단한 하나의 초고출력 펄스를 이용하는 반면에, MPP는 펄스 길이 3 ms 안에서 다양하게 조절이 가능하며, 한 전체 펄스 주기 안에서 다중 세트 펄스와 micro 펄스를 자유롭게 조합하여 인가할 수 있다는 장점이 있다. 본 실험에서는 In2O3 : SnO2의 조성비 10:1 wt% target을 사용하였으며, Ar:O2의 유량비는 10:1의 비율로, 기판의 온도를 올려 주지 않는 상태에서 실험을 하였다. Ar 유량을 40 sccm으로 고정시킨 후 O2의 유량을 2~6 sccm에 대하여 비교를 하였다. 박막의 두께를 100 nm로 이하로 하였을 때 비저항은 $7.6{\times}10-4{\Omega}cm$의 값을, 80% 이상의 투과도와 10 cm2/Vs 이상의 mobility를 얻을 수 있었다. 또한 박막 두께 150 nm로 고정, substrate moving에 따른 ITO 박막의 차이를 알아보았다. 비저항의 값은 $5.6{\times}10-4{\Omega}cm$의 값을, 80% 이상의 투과도와 15 cm2/Vs의 값을 얻었다.