Numerical analysis of the incident ion energy and angle distribution in the DC magnetron sputtering for the variation of gas pressure

Abstract

The ion energy and angle distributions (IEADs) in the DC magnetron sputtering systems are investigated for the variation of gas pressure using particle-in-cell simulation. Even for the condition of collisionless ion sheath at low pressure, it is possible to change the IEAD significantly with the change of gas pressure. The bombarding ions to the target with low energy and large incident angle are observed at low pressure when the sheath voltage drop is low. It is because the electron transport is hindered by the magnetic field at low pressure because of few collisions per electron gyromotion while the ions are not magnetized. Therefore, the space charge effect is the most dominant factor for the determination of IEADs in low-pressure magnetron sputtering discharges.