Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

1. HeRe in Italy RFS Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique Carlo Misiano Romana Film Sottili Anzio Italy Frascati 3 12. 2013

2. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique Contents • Introduction to the PVD ; • Thin film formation and ADATOM phase; • Ion Plating configuration; • Ion Plating Plasma Assisted IPPA • New High Density Plasma Processes; • Conclusions. • Acknowledgments

3. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique THE FORMATION OF A THIN FILM BY TECHNICAL PVD CAN 'BE DIVIDED INTO THREE PHASES:VAPORIZATIONRepresents the phase through which the material to be deposited is led to the gas phase.The most characteristic elements of this phase are: The energy with which particles are emitted from the source material and the eventual Percentage of particles emitted in the ionized form.

4. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique TRANSFERRepresents the phase during which the material to be deposited is transferred from the source to the substrates.  The most characteristic elements of this phase are the interactions with the residual gas environment, and possible effects due to interaction with plasmas and electric and / or on magnetic fields for ionized particles.

5. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique DEPOSITION 1. CONDENSATION     The vaporized particle loses energy reaching the substrate in contact, but it still maintains an average enough to move on its surface;2. MIGRATION      The particle condensed, which at this stage is called ADATOM, migrates on the surface of the substrate gradually losing energy or possibly acquiring, in case of presence of ion bombardment, particle or photon.3. NUCLEATION      The particle stops in a site whose binding energy is greater than the energy remaining to the ADATOM.

6. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

7. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

8. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

9. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique ION PLATING The family of Ion Plating technologies is characterized by at least one of these two elements:- The depositing particles are energized, after the vaporization, before reaching the substrate;- The growing film is subjected to an ions or particles bombardment;

10. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique EFFECTS OF IONIC BOMBARDMENT DURING THE FILM DEPOSITION - ENERGIZING OF “ADATOMS” BEFORE NUCLEATION- "MIXING" SUBSTRATE SURFACE - FILM- RI-SPUTTERING OF PARTICLES WEAKLY BONDED- FILM ‘COMPACTING” - DESORPTION OF GASEOUS INCLUSION

11. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique Ion bombardment

13. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

14. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

15. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

16. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

17. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

18. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

19. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique Ion Plating with Cathodic Arc

20. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

21. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique Reactive Low Voltage Ion Plating

22. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique PLAD

23. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique A B In figure A and B are reported the energy distributions without (A) and with a bias of 40 V (B) for various ions inside an IPPA MS Process

24. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique • We selected Ion Plating Plasma Assisted (IPPA) with Magnetron Sputtering source or Thermal source, in order to achieve, higher quality, lower costs, respect to the usual vacuum processes, higher isotropy of deposited layers and the possibility to realize new treatments.

25. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique IPPA shows the following characteristics: • Sputter cleaning of the substrates • Energization of condensing particles and ionic bombardment of the growing film that increase the “Adatom” phase life, • Deposition on substrates at room temperature; • Deposition in “Dirty Vacuum Conditions” • Substrate cleaning and deposition in the same vacuum cycle • Higher deposition rate in reactive processes;

26. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique With IPPA processes it is possible to deposit films having • a thickness up to 100 microns without delamination; • Films deposited by IPPA show higher density and compactness

27. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique Thorton Zone Structure Model

28. A structure zone diagram including plasma based deposition and ion etching

29. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique • High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering, HPPMS is a method for physical vapor deposition of thin films which is based on magnetron sputter deposition. HIPIMS utilises extremely high power densities of the order of kWcm−2 in short pulses (impulses) of tens of microseconds at low duty cycle (on/off time ratio) of < 10%. A distinguishing feature of HIPIMS is its high degree of ionisation of the sputtered metal and high rate of molecular gas dissociation.

30. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique Conclusions After the results obtained and in particular: • Dramatic cut of the costs due to the use of sputter cleaning and the possibility to deposit at room temperature; • Good mechanical and environmental properties; • Process absolutely clean and safe; We can conclude that the IPPA processes really represent a new important step in evolution of thin film vacuum deposition

31. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique I wish to thank first of all Donald Mattox For the invention of Ion Plating Acknowledgments

32. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique

33. Thin film depositions: the Ion Plating technique And You For the kind attention