Requirements of power supply parameters for high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering

Abstract In the last few years, a new sputter process technology called pulsed magnetron sputtering (PMS) has been developed and has become relevant for industrial applications of large-area coating. The combination of a pulsed power supply and a dual magnetron sputter (DMS) system enables the deposition of insulating layers, such as Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , ZnO and SnO 2 , with high rates as DC sputtering. The pulsed magnetron sputtering process in conjunction with high power density requires intelligent process and arc management. The interactions between process control and the dynamics of the power supply are described by means of the deposition of tin oxide and zinc oxide. The meaning of process instabilities in the arcs were analyzed with V – I curves. A high-speed camera was used to observe the dual magnetron sputter system during arcing. The dynamics of the coating system were characterized using the temporal behavior of the oxygen partial pressure, which was measured with a lambda probe. The result of the optimization of the system power-supply sputter source is a deposition process with long-term stability.