An upgraded ultra-high vacuum magnetron-sputtering system for high-versatility and software-controlled deposition

TL;DR

This paper presents an upgraded, versatile, and automated magnetron sputtering system for laboratory research, integrating software control and hardware enhancements to improve film deposition processes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel lab-scale sputtering chamber with advanced automation, software control, and enhanced plasma density features for fundamental research applications.

Findings

Successful deposition of metallic, oxide, nitride, and oxynitride films.

Enhanced plasma density near substrate with coil integration.

High degree of automation and process logging achieved.

Abstract

Magnetron sputtering is a widely used physical vapor deposition technique. Reactive sputtering is used for the deposition of, e.g, oxides, nitrides and carbides. In fundamental research, versatility is essential when designing or upgrading a deposition chamber. Furthermore, automated deposition systems are the norm in industrial production, but relatively uncommon in laboratory-scale systems used primarily for fundamental research. Combining automatization and computerized control with the required versatility for fundamental research constitutes a challenge in designing, developing, and upgrading laboratory deposition systems. The present article provides a detailed description of the design of a lab-scale deposition chamber for magnetron sputtering used for the deposition of metallic, oxide, nitride and oxynitride films with automated controls, dc or pulsed bias, and combined with a coil to enhance the plasma density near the substrate. LabVIEW software (provided as Supplementary Information) has been developed for a high degree of computerized or automated control of hardware and processes control and logging of process details.