Ken Nauman¹, S. M. Asaduzzaman¹, Qi Hua Fan^2
1Sputtering Components Incorporation, Owatonna, MN
²Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Using rotary magnetron to sputter non-conductive targets has many potential applications. However, the standing-wave-induced non-uniformity prevents the direct adoption of standard 13.56 MHz RF power supplies for large-area coatings. This work aims to determine if a lower frequency can effectively induce RF sputtering with negligible standing wave effect. The study will simulate the discharges and plasma characteristics of a standard SCI rotary magnetron with excitation frequencies in the range of 0.4 to 13.56 MHz. The plasma simulation will be conducted using ASTRA^TM software, which integrates efficient algorithms with a particle model to accurately predict low-pressure discharges. Typical parameters that can be derived from the simulations include electric potential, electric field, ion and electron densities and energy distributions, ion flux onto the target and substrate, and charge accumulation on the rotary dielectric target. This study provides insights in the rotary magnetron discharges and theoretical guidance to the magnetic field designs to achieving efficient sputtering.