A presentation on

DC & RF Sputtering
In partial fulfilment for the award of the degree
 
Of
 
MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY
In
INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERING

Presented To:-
Presented By:-
Dr. Shivendra kr pandey.
Samdar Singh(2025105)
(Assistant Professor)
OBJECTIVES
 To know what is sputtering.
 To study the dc & rf sputtering working.
 Advantage & disadvantages of dc & rf sputtering
 SPUTTERING:-

 Sputtering is a thin film coating technique where a

target material to be used as the coating is given an
electrical charge causing it to be bombarded with
ionized gas molecules in a vacuum environment causing
atoms to be “Sputtered” off into the plasma. These
vaporized atoms are then deposited when they condense
as a thin film on the substrate to be coated.
 We will study DC & RF Sputtering.
DC SPUTTERING:-

DC or Direct Current Sputtering is a Thin Film Physical Vapor

Deposition (PVD) Coating technique.
DC Sputtering is the most basic and inexpensive type of
sputtering for PVD metal deposition and electrically
conductive target coating materials.
Two major advantages of DC as a power source for this
process is that it is easy to control and is a low cost option if
you are doing metal deposition for coating.
CONFIGURATION

The basic configuration of a DC

Sputtering coating system is the target
material to be used as a coating is placed
in a vacuum chamber parallel to the
substrate to be coated.
The vacuum chamber is evacuated to a
base pressure removing H2O, Air, H2.
Ar and then backfilled with a high purity
inert process gas
WORKING

A DC electrical current typically in the -2 to -5 kV range is then

applied to the target coating material that is the cathode
A positive charge is also applied to the substrate to be coated
which become the anode.
The electrically neutral argon gas atoms are first ionized
The ionized argon gas atoms are then driven to the substrate
which is the anode or positive charged bias attracting ionized gas
ions, electrons and the vaporized target coating atoms which
condense and form a thin film coating on the substrate to be
coated
PROS & CONS
1.DC Sputtering is the most basic and inexpensive type of
sputtering for PVD metal deposition
2.Despite the relative simplicity of DC Sputtering it usually has low
deposition rates compared to more complicated HIPIMS
3.the relative simplicity of the DC Power source compared to RF or
HIPMIS Power sources that require much more complicated
configuration, cabling and higher energy costs continues to make
DC Sputtering the low cost solution
4.It’s primary limitation is that non-conducting dielectric insulating
materials take on a charge over time which can result in quality
issues like arcing, or the poisoning of the target material with a
charge
 RF SPUTTERING
RF magnetron sputtering is a technique where Argon ions are
accelerated by a RF electric field to hit a target made of the
material to sputter.
RF or Radio Frequency Sputtering is the technique involved in
alternating the electrical potential of the current in the vacuum
environment at radio frequencies to avoid a charge building up
on certain types of sputtering target materials, which over time
can result in arcing into the plasma that spews droplets creating
quality control issues on the thin films – and can even lead to
the complete cessation of the sputtering of atoms terminating
the process.
CONFIGURATION
1.RF Sputtering runs an energetic wave through an inert
gas in a vacuum chamber which becomes ionized.
2.The target material or cathode which is to become the
thin film coating is bombarded by these high energy ions
sputtering off atoms as a fine spray covering the substrate
to be coated.
Continued..
1.We combine both AC & DC voltage and generated a
different type voltage that is called RF(AC) voltage
2.RF remain positive for 75% of time and negative for
25% of time
Working
In 1st half cycle positive terminal is connected to the wafer and negative terminal
to the silicon dioxide now Ar ions hit the SiO2 and deposit it to the wafer as 75%
of time it remain positive so Ar ion deposited more SiO2 on the wafer
Ar ions struck with SiO2 and as it is insulator charge will not be removed and a
positive joint layer will be formed even the backside of the glass has negative
charge but there will be no electric connection
 Continued..
1.In next half cycle when polarity changes SiO2 get connected with positive terminal and
wafer with negative in this case electron move towards SiO2 and Ar ions will not hit wafer
as it is for short time and even some hits will occur it will remove some SiO2 layer and
make it rough which will help in good deposition in next half cycle
2.On the positive cycle electrons are attracted to the target material or cathode giving it a
negative bias. On the negative portion of the cycle - which is occurring at the radio
frequency of 13.56 MHz used internationally for RF power supply equipment - ion
bombardment of the target to be sputtered continues.
PROS & CONS
1.By alternating the electrical potential with RF Sputtering, the
surface of the target material can be “cleaned” of a charge buildup
with each cycle.
2.RF plasmas tend to defuse throughout the entire chamber rather than
concentrating around the cathode or target material as with DC
Sputtering.
3.with RF Sputtering the target material is being “cleaned” with each
cycle from building up a charge it helps reduce arcing.
THANK YOU