Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten

DS 15: Poster Session

DS 15.60: Poster

Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 15:00–17:00, Poster B

The Influence of Cross-Magnetron Effect on the Functional Film Properties of ITO Thin Films — •Ronny Kleinhempel, Hartmut Kupfer, Thoralf Dunger, Thomas Welzel, Benjamin Graffel, and Frank Richter — Chemnitz University of Technology, Institute of Physics, D-09107 Chemnitz

For industrial applications reliable and lateral homogeneous properties of thin films are required. In the case of display applications of ITO films a high transparency and a constant low electric film resistivity are indispensable preconditions. Typically, these films are deposited by magnetron sputtering. This method, however, shows some inherent inhomogeneities in process properties. Using dual-magnetron sputtering and rectangular targets the Cross-Magnetron Effect (CME) occurs. This is an inhomogeneity of the plasma along the torus which results in an anomalous target erosion as well as modified film properties.

To characterise the CME more detailed the correlation between the distribution of the process parameters and the functional film properties was investigated. ITO films were deposited in a pulsed dual-magnetron discharge reactively from metallic In:Sn (90/10) targets in the transition mode. Statically deposited films show a lateral variation of the optical transparency and the electrical resistivity. The distribution could be correlated with results of plasma property and thermal load measurements. The investigations revealed that the main mechanisms influencing the film properties due to CME are the locally increased ion bombardment onto the growing film and the concentration of dissociated oxygen at substrate position.