Pulsed DC, Gas-Flow Hollow Cathode Discharge: a Source for Sputter-Deposition

摘要

Hollow cathode discharges with gas flow through the hole are used for deposition by sputtering and low-temperature plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). If DC power is used in conjunction with gases that react with the cathode material, arcing will occur. To avoid arcing caused by electrode surface contamination in a reactive gas atmosphere and to shorten the cathode activation-time and stabilize the discharge, pulsed DC power can be used. In this work, a pulsed DC hollow cathode discharge made from copper having a rectangular profile is investigated. The influence of pulsing power parameters, pressure, and gas flow on the plasma generated in various hollow cathodes are studied. Time-averaged Langmuir probe measurements and optical emission spectroscopy are used to characterize the remote plasma.