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Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Thin Films and Interfaces".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 July 2023) | Viewed by 23522

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Prof. Dr. Viktor Shapovalov

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Electronics Department, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University "LETI", St. Petersburg, Russia
Interests: inorganic film technology; multifunctional inorganic films; gas discharge; magnetron sputtering; reactive sputtering, sputtering simulation
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Dear Colleagues,

Presently, sputtering is widely used for the deposition of inorganic films (made from metals, alloys, oxides, nitrides, oxynitrides, solid solutions, etc.). This method is often referred to as physical vapor deposition (PVD). One popular method is magnetron sputtering based on an abnormal glow discharge in crossed fields.

This method was developed in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. In 1831–1835, Michael Faraday discovered a new form of discharge that is stable at low pressure, which was called the glow discharge. Subsequently, William Robert Grove (1852) discovered sputtering of the cathode in an abnormal glow discharge. Through the efforts of many researchers, this discovery later led to the emergence of a universal technological instrument that is useful in many technical fields.

In 1990–2020, approximately 86,000 articles were published about the deposition of films by sputtering methods. The number of publications about films made from advanced materials continues to grow. They include, for example, high-entropy alloys (such as NbTaMoW or NbTaMoWN_x) and 2D materials (for example, dichalcogenides of transition metals).

Currently, various modifications of magnetron sputtering are used to deposit inorganic films; examples include DC magnetron sputtering, RF magnetron sputtering, pulsed DC magnetron sputtering, high-power impulse magnetron sputtering, and reactive magnetron sputtering. In this case, the magnetron is equipped with a variety of targets. They can be made from metals, their oxides, nitrides or other compounds, as well as from their solid solutions. The magnetron can include a cold or hot target. The deposition of films from solid solutions can be carried out by the joint deposition of targets from several magnetrons or by the deposition of one target of a complex design. Researchers are clearly interested in simulating sputtering processes.

This Special Issue of Materials presents new results obtained in film deposition by sputtering methods. The editors are interested in works describing both experimental and modeling results. New sputtering devices and films from new promising materials for electronics, mechanical engineering, nuclear and other industries are in the focus of the Special Issue.

We kindly invite you to submit your manuscript(s) (full papers, communications, or reviews) for the Special Issue "Sputter deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) materials and processes".

Prof. Dr. Viktor Shapovalov
Guest Editor

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Keywords

sputtering
reactive sputtering
DC magnetron sputtering
RF magnetron sputtering
pulsed DC magnetron sputtering
high-power impulse magnetron sputtering
cold target
hot target
films
sputtering model

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3060 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Homogeneity- and Stoichiometry-Induced Electrical and Optical Properties of Cu-Se Thin Films by RF Sputtering Power

by Sara Kim, Yong-Seok Lee and Nam-Hoon Kim

Materials 2023, 16(18), 6087; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16186087 - 6 Sep 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1014

Abstract

P-type Cu-Se thin films were deposited on glass substrates at room temperature using radio frequency magnetron sputtering by a single multi-component CuSe₂ target. When using a multi-component target, the impact of the sputtering power on the homogeneity and stoichiometry within the thin films should be investigated in the depth direction to demonstrate a secondary effect on the electrical and optical properties of the thin films. Systematic characterization of the Cu-Se thin films, including the morphology, microstructure, chemical composition, and depth-directional chemical bonding state and defect structure of the thin films, revealed that the sputtering power played an important role in the homogeneity and stoichiometry of the thin films. At very low and very high sputtering power levels, the Cu-Se thin films exhibited more deviations from stoichiometry, while an optimized sputtering power resulted in more homogenous thin films with improved stoichiometry across the entire thin film thickness in the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profile, despite showing Se deficiency at all depths. A rapid decrease in carrier concentration, indicating a reduction in the net effect of total defects, was obtained at the optimized sputtering power with less deviation from stoichiometry in the Cu-Se thin films and the closest stoichiometric ratio at an intermediate depth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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11 pages, 2642 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Transparent Conducting Amorphous IZO Thin Films: An Approach to Improve the Transparent Electrode Quality

by Akhmed K. Akhmedov, Aslan Kh. Abduev, Eldar K. Murliev, Victor V. Belyaev and Abil Sh. Asvarov

Materials 2023, 16(10), 3740; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16103740 - 15 May 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2146

Abstract

It is common knowledge that using different oxygen contents in the working gas during sputtering deposition results in fabrication of indium zinc oxide (IZO) films with a wide range of optoelectronic properties. It is also important that high deposition temperature is not required to achieve excellent transparent electrode quality in the IZO films. Modulation of the oxygen content in the working gas during RF sputtering of IZO ceramic targets was used to deposit IZO-based multilayers in which the ultrathin IZO unit layers with high electron mobility (μ-IZO) alternate with ones characterized by high concentration of free electrons (n-IZO). As a result of optimizing the thicknesses of each type of unit layer, low-temperature 400 nm thick IZO multilayers with excellent transparent electrode quality, indicated by the low sheet resistance (R ≤ 8 Ω/sq.) with high transmittance in the visible range (

\bar{T}

> 83%) and a very flat multilayer surface, were obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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13 pages, 3801 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Particles–Matrix Bond in ZnCoO:H and ZnCoAlO:H Films: Issues of Magnetism and Spin Injection

by Yu. E. Samoshkina, M. V. Rautskii, D. S. Neznakhin, E. A. Stepanova, I. S. Edelman and Hsiung Chou

Materials 2023, 16(10), 3659; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16103659 - 11 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1346

Abstract

ZnCoO:H and ZnCoAlO:H films were synthesized by radio frequency magnetron sputtering in a (1 − x)Ar + xH₂ mixed atmosphere with x = 0.2–0.5. The films contain different amounts of metallic Co particles (from 7.6% and higher) ~4–7 nm in size. The magnetic and magneto-optical (MO) behavior of the films was analyzed in combination with their structural data. The samples exhibit high values of magnetization (up to 377 emu/cm³) and MO response at room temperature. Two situations are considered: (1) the film magnetism is associated only with isolated metal particles and (2) magnetism is present both in the oxide matrix and in metal inclusions. It has been established that the formation mechanism of the magnetic structure of ZnO:Co²⁺ is due to the spin-polarized conduction electrons of metal particles and zinc vacancies. It was also found that in the presence of two magnetic components in the films, these components are exchange-coupled. In this case, the exchange coupling generates a high spin polarization of the films. The spin-dependent transport properties of the samples have been studied. A high value of the negative magnetoresistance of the films at room temperature (~4%) was found. This behavior was explained in terms of the giant magnetoresistance model. Thus, the ZnCoO:H and ZnCoAlO:H films with high spin polarization can be considered as sources of spin injection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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18 pages, 4731 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Pulse Parameters of a DC Power Generator on the Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Sputtered AlN Film with In-Situ OES Data Analysis

by Wei-Yu Zhou, Hsuan-Fan Chen, Xue-Li Tseng, Hsiao-Han Lo, Peter J. Wang, Ming-Yu Jiang, Yiin-Kuen Fuh and Tomi T. Li

Materials 2023, 16(8), 3015; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16083015 - 11 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2010

Abstract

In the present study, the sputtered aluminum nitride (AlN) films were processed in a reactive pulsed DC magnetron system. We applied a total of 15 different design of experiments (DOEs) on DC pulsed parameters (reverse voltage, pulse frequency, and duty cycle) with Box–Behnken experimental method and response surface method (RSM) to establish a mathematical model by experimental data for interpreting the relationship between independent and response variables. For the characterization of AlN films on the crystal quality, microstructure, thickness, and surface roughness, X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were utilized. AlN films have different microstructures and surface roughness under different pulse parameters. In addition, in-situ optical emission spectroscopy (OES) was employed to monitor the plasma in real-time, and its data were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) for dimensionality reduction and data preprocessing. Through the CatBoost modeling and analysis, we predicted results from XRD in full width at half maximum (FWHM) and SEM in grain size. This investigation identified the optimal pulse parameters for producing high-quality AlN films as a reverse voltage of 50 V, a pulse frequency of 250 kHz, and a duty cycle of 80.6061%. Additionally, a predictive CatBoost model for obtaining film FWHM and grain size was successfully trained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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10 pages, 3270 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

CALPHAD-Based Modelling of the Temperature–Composition–Structure Relationship during Physical Vapor Deposition of Mg-Ca Thin Films

by Philipp Keuter, Moritz to Baben, Shamsa Aliramaji and Jochen M. Schneider

Materials 2023, 16(6), 2417; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16062417 - 17 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1470

Abstract

The temperature-dependent composition and phase formation during the physical vapor deposition (PVD) of Mg-Ca thin films is modeled using a CALPHAD-based approach. Considering the Mg and Ca sublimation fluxes calculated based on the vapor pressure obtained by employing thermochemical equilibrium calculations, the experimentally observed synthesis-temperature trends in the thin-film composition and phase formation were reproduced. The model is a significant step towards understanding how synthesis parameters control composition and, therefore, phase formation in the PVD of metals with high vapor pressures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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8 pages, 1733 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polycrystalline WO_3−x Thin Films Obtained by Reactive DC Sputtering at Room Temperature

by Cecilia Guillén

Materials 2023, 16(4), 1359; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16041359 - 6 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1557

Abstract

Tungsten oxide thin films have applications in various energy-related devices owing to their versatile semiconductor properties, which depend on the oxygen content and crystalline state. The concentration of electrons increases with intrinsic defects such as oxygen vacancies, which create new absorption bands that give rise to colored films. Disorders in the crystal structure produce additional changes in the electrical and optical characteristics. Here, WO_3−x thin films are prepared on unheated glass substrates by reactive DC sputtering from a pure metal target, using the discharge power and the oxygen-to-argon pressure ratio as control parameters. A transition from amorphous to polycrystalline state is obtained by increasing the sputtering power and adjusting the oxygen content. The surface roughness is higher and the bandgap energy is lower for polycrystalline layers than for amorphous ones. Moreover, the electrical conductivity and sub-bandgap absorption increase as the oxygen content decreases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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16 pages, 4869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

(Cr_1−xAl_x)N Coating Deposition by Short-Pulse High-Power Dual Magnetron Sputtering

by Alexander Grenadyorov, Vladimir Oskirko, Alexander Zakharov, Konstantin Oskomov and Andrey Solovyev

Materials 2022, 15(22), 8237; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15228237 - 20 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2003

Abstract

The paper deals with the (Cr_1−xAl_x)N coating containing 17 to 54 % Al which is deposited on AISI 430 stainless steel stationary substrates by short-pulse high-power dual magnetron sputtering of Al and Cr targets. The Al/Cr ratio in the coating depends on the substrate position relative to magnetrons. It is shown that the higher Al content in the (Cr_1−xAl_x)N coating improves its hardness from 17 to 28 GPa. Regardless of the Al content, the (Cr_1−xAl_x)N coating manifests a low wear rate, namely (4.1–7.8) × 10⁻⁹ and (3.9–5.3) × 10⁻⁷ mm³N⁻¹m⁻¹ in using metallic (100Cr6) and ceramic (Al₂O₃) counter bodies, respectively. In addition, this coating possesses the friction coefficient 0.4–0.7 and adhesive strength quality HF1 and HF2 indicating good interfacial adhesion according to the Daimler-Benz Rockwell-C adhesion test. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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7 pages, 3438 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Ta Interlayers on Texture and Magnetic Properties of FeSi Films with Micrometer Thickness

by Jialian He, Zhong Zhang, Zhihao Bao, Guangai Sun, Xinxi Li, Xuepeng Qiu, Shiqiang Wang, Zhanshan Wang, Qiushi Huang and Shengzhen Yi

Materials 2022, 15(19), 6789; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196789 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1423

Abstract

Magnetized soft ferromagnetic films with micrometer thickness were studied. A FeSi film, with a total thickness of 2000 nm, separated by 10 nm-thick Ta interlayers, was fabricated using the direct-current magnetron sputtering technique. The thickness of each FeSi layer between adjacent Ta layers was 100 nm. Hysteresis loop measurement was used to characterize the magnetic properties of the layer. X-ray diffraction patterns and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize its texture. The experimental results showed that the FeSi film separated by Ta interlayers exhibited a lower saturation magnetization and a higher coercivity than those of the 1140 nm-thick FeSi film. The insertion of Ta interlayers resulted in the disappearance of the crystal plane of FeSi (221), and better texture of the crystal plane of FeSi (210). The FeSi film exhibited a crystal plane of FeSi (210) with a bcc crystalline structure. The Ta interlayers were partially amorphous, exhibiting crystal plane of Ta (002) and TaSi₂ (310). The matching of magnetic properties between interlayers and soft magnetic layers played an important role in maintaining its soft magnetic properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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11 pages, 1398 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

On the Effect of the Co-Introduction of Al and Ga Impurities on the Electrical Performance of Transparent Conductive ZnO-Based Thin Films

by Abil S. Asvarov, Aslan K. Abduev, Akhmed K. Akhmedov and Vladimir M. Kanevsky

Materials 2022, 15(17), 5862; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15175862 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1671

Abstract

In this study, a set of ZnO-based thin films were prepared on glass substrates at various substrate temperatures via the direct current magnetron sputtering of ceramic targets with the following compositions: pure ZnO, Al-doped ZnO with doping levels of 1 and 2 at.%, Ga-doped ZnO with doping levels of 1 and 2 at.%, and (Al, Ga)-co-doped ZnO with doping levels of 1 and 2 at.% for each impurity metal. The dependencies of sheet resistance, carrier concentration, and Hall mobility on the substrate temperature were studied for the deposited films. The results of evaluating the electrical performances of the films were compared with the data of their XRD study. According to the XRD data, among all the deposited ZnO films, the maximum crystallinity was found in the co-doped thin film with doping levels of 2 at.% for each impurity metal, deposited at a substrate temperature of 300 °C. It was revealed that the observed increase in the Hall mobility and carrier concentration for the co-doped films may, in particular, be due to the difference in the preferred localization of Ga and Al impurities in the ZnO film: the Ga ions were mainly incorporated into the crystal lattice of ZnO nanocrystallites, while the Al impurity was mostly localized in the intercrystalline space at the grain boundaries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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14 pages, 29106 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Graphene Reinforced Anticorrosion Transparent Conductive Composite Film Based on Ultra-Thin Ag Nanofilm

by Xiaowei Fan, Zenghua Zhao, Xiaoping Liang, Xuguo Huai, Chan Wang, Juncheng Liu and Chunyang Duan

Materials 2022, 15(14), 4802; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15144802 - 9 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1763

Abstract

Transparent conductive films are widely used in electronic products and industrial fields. Ultra-thin Ag conductive nanofilm (ACF) was prepared on a soda lime silica glass (ordinary architectural glass) substrate with industrial magnetron sputtering equipment with AZO (Al₂O₃ doped ZnO) as the crystal bed and wetting layer. In order to improve the corrosion resistance and conductivity of the ACF, graphene nanosheets were modified on the surface of the ACF by electrospraying for the first time. The results show that this graphene modification could be carried out continuously on a meter scale. With the modification of the graphene layer, the corrosion rate of graphene-decorated ACF (G/ACF) can be reduced by 74.56%, and after 72 h of salt spray test, the conductivity of ACF samples without modification of graphene can be reduced by 34.1%, while the conductivity of G/ACF samples with modification of graphene can be reduced by only 6.5%. This work proves the potential of graphene modified ACF to prepare robust large-area transparent conductive film. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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Review

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22 pages, 2010 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review on Hydrophobic Thin Films Prepared Using Magnetron Sputtering Deposition

by Yuxin Ju, Ling Ai, Xiaopeng Qi, Jia Li and Weijie Song

Materials 2023, 16(10), 3764; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16103764 - 16 May 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3459

Abstract

Hydrophobic thin films have gained significant attention due to their broad applications in self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, anti-icing, medicine, oil–water separation, and other fields. The target hydrophobic materials can be deposited onto various surfaces thanks to the scalable and highly reproducible nature of magnetron sputtering, which is comprehensively overviewed in this review. While alternative preparation methods have been extensively analyzed, a systematic understanding of hydrophobic thin films fabricated using magnetron sputtering deposition is still absent. After outlining the fundamental mechanism of hydrophobicity, this review briefly summarizes three types of sputtering-deposited thin films that originate from oxides, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and diamond-like carbon (DLC), respectively, primarily focusing on the recent advances in their preparation, characteristics, and applications. Finally, the future applications, current challenges, and development of hydrophobic thin films are discussed, and a brief perspective on future research directions is provided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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50 pages, 6105 KiB

Open AccessReview

Modeling of Reactive Sputtering—History and Development

by Viktor I. Shapovalov

Materials 2023, 16(8), 3258; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16083258 - 20 Apr 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2339

Abstract

This work critically reviews the evolution of reactive sputtering modeling that has taken place over the last 50 years. The review summarizes the main features of the deposition of simple metal compound films (nitrides, oxides, oxynitrides, carbides, etc.) that were experimentally found by different researchers. The above features include significant non-linearity and hysteresis. At the beginning of the 1970s, specific chemisorption models were proposed. These models were based on the assumption that a compound film was formed on the target due to chemisorption. Their development led to the appearance of the general isothermal chemisorption model, which was supplemented by the processes on the surfaces of the vacuum chamber wall and the substrate. The model has undergone numerous transformations for application to various problems of reactive sputtering. At the next step in the development of modeling, the reactive sputtering deposition (RSD) model was proposed, which was based on the implantation of reactive gas molecules into the target, bulk chemical reaction, chemisorption, and the “knock-on effect”. Another direction of the modeling development is represented by the nonisothermal physicochemical model, in which the Langmuir isotherm and the law of mass action are used. Various modifications of this model allowed describing reactive sputtering processes in more complex cases when the sputtering unit included a hot target or a sandwich one. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sputter Deposition/Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Materials and Processes)

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