ELECTRON BEHAVIOR IN CYLINDRICAL MAGNETRON SPUTTERING SOURCE

The characteristics of the glow discharge in a new type magnetron sputtering device are described. An azimuthal magnetic field produced by the current flowing through the center conductor is superimposed into a conventional cylindrical magnetron configuration. It is possible to change the configuration of the magnetic field and then to control plasma parameters in space by changing the ratio of the azimuthal field to the longitudinal one. Effects of such a magnetic field on the properties of magnetron discharges are examined experimentally. By adjusting the strength of the azimuthal field, the current-voltage characteristics for A(r) gas with various discharge voltages were measured. With proper choice of the magnetic and electric configuration, the current flux density is apparently increased. To confirm the availability of the composed magnetic field, the density profile of electrons was measured by an electrostatic probe. The results show that the electron density was increased two-fold by applying the magnetic field with the azimuthal component. This result may be due to a decreased end loss of electrons.