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Influence of the Argon Pressure at dc Magnetron Sputtering on Contaminations in CrSi Thin Films
Author(s) -
Sobe G.,
Schreiber H.,
Weise G.,
Heinrich A.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
contributions to plasma physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1521-3986
pISSN - 0863-1042
DOI - 10.1002/ctpp.2150320605
Subject(s) - argon , materials science , cavity magnetron , sputter deposition , thin film , sputtering , hydrogen , impurity , substrate (aquarium) , microstructure , analytical chemistry (journal) , composite material , nanotechnology , atomic physics , chemistry , physics , oceanography , organic chemistry , chromatography , geology
This paper deals with the influence of process parameters, especially of argon pressure, power, and target‐substrate spacing on impurity content and properties of Cr‐Si thin films deposited by dc magnetron sputtering in a non‐heated high vacuum apparatus. The results confirm the well‐known fact that in such a unit by means of a magnetron pure films can be produced without any difficulties. However, this has proved to be possible only in the case of low argon pressure being preferentially employed in magnetron sputtering. Boosting the argon pressure yields drastic film contaminations by oxygen and hydrogen, which are caused by a reinforced release of adsorbats from the apparatus walls under these operating conditions. A high argon pressure effects simultaneously a change in the film microstructure resulting together with the contaminants in modified electrical properties.