Ralf Bandorf¹, Holger Gerdes¹, Stefan Körner¹, Dennis Barton¹, Jan-Peter Urbach², Thomas Schütte², Ying-Hung Chen³, Ping-Yen Hsieh³, Ju-Liang He^3
1Fraunhofer IST, Braunschweig, Germany
²PLASUS GmbH, Mering, Germany
³Feng Chia University, Taichung City, Taiwan
High power impulse magnetron sputtering HIPIMS has become a state-of-the-art technology used in thin film deposition. One powerful tool for non-invasive characterization of HIPIMS processes is optical emission spectroscopy OES. Especially time resolved investigations will reveal insights that finally are used to tailor advanced coating processes. Furthermore, advancing simulation and modeling will speed up development and understanding.
In this study a combination of time-resolved OES and particle-in-cell Monte Carlo PIC-MC simulation to investigate single pulse HIPIMS of titanium will be presented. Early results on the ion generation and evolution of Ti species, atomic Ti as well as single and double charged Ti ions were measured with time resolved OES. Recent PIC‑MC simulations are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental observations, thereby reinforcing the underlying physical picture. Finally, the effect of the charging voltage on the ion generation and the resulting ion to neutral fraction will be discussed, providing guidance for the deliberate tailoring of HIPIMS conditions to optimize coating processes.