Comprehensive computer model for magnetron sputtering. I. Gas heating and rarefaction

The complex interaction between several variables in magnetron sputtering discharges is a challenge in developing engineering design tools for industrial applications. For instance, at high pressures, rarefaction and gas heating should no longer be neglected for determining several parameters of the process. In this article, we use a comprehensive 3D reactor-scale simulator that incorporates most phenomena of interest in a self-consistent manner to simulate the transport of sputtered particles over a wide range of pressures and powers. Calculations of aluminum deposition rates and metal vapor densities are in reasonable agreement with experiments over a wide range of pressures and powers. Of the elements investigated (Al, Ti, and Cu), copper showed the greatest rarefaction (30%) due to its higher sputtering yield. Titanium, despite a slightly lower sputtering yield than Al, shows a greater rarefaction than aluminum as more particles are reflected from the target as high energy neutrals. In this case, a mo...