PIC-MC simulation of magnetron discharges: Ion energy distribution and 3D effects

Abstract

Although magnetron sputtering has been established in the 80´s, the dynamics of magnetron discharge plasmas and subsequent reactive deposition processes are still not fully understood and involve surprising phenomena of collective many-particle dynamics. With a Particle-in-Cell Monte-Carlo (PIC-MC) simulation tool based on solving the Boltzmann equation with parallel algorithms, magnetron discharges can be analyzed in detail within 2D or 3D models. Thereby, 3D features such as non-symmetric anode effects or travelling plasma waves and their impact on the resulting ion energy distribution functions are revealed. The improved understanding of magnetron discharges obtained by PIC-MC plasma simulation helps to systematically improve the design of magnetron coaters in terms of homogeneity and stability