Comparison Between DC and HiPIMS Discharges. Application to Nickel Thin Films

The study deals with a comparison between Direct Current (DC) and High Power Impulse Magetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) processes. We have first highlighted that the plasma of the DC discharge is composed mainly of gaseous species whereas the HiPIMS discharge leads to a plasma dominated by metal vapor and characterized by the presence of charged species of strong and low energy. For thin nickel (Ni) films, we have found the the use of HiPIMS produce denser and better crystallized layers improving the uniformity of the coating on substrates with complex geometries.