Comprehensive computer model for magnetron sputtering. II. Charged particle transport

Discharges for magnetron sputter thin film deposition systems involve complex plasmas that are sensitively dependent on magnetic field configuration and strength, working gas species and pressure, chamber geometry, and discharge power. The authors present a numerical formulation for the general solution of these plasmas as a component of a comprehensive simulation capability for planar magnetron sputtering. This is an extensible, fully three-dimensional model supporting realistic magnetic fields and is self-consistently solvable on a desktop computer. The plasma model features a hybrid approach involving a Monte Carlo treatment of energetic electrons and ions, along with a coupled fluid model for thermalized particles. Validation against a well-known one-dimensional system is presented. Various strategies for improving numerical stability are investigated as is the sensitivity of the solution to various model and process parameters. In particular, the effect of magnetic field, argon gas pressure, and discharge power are studied.