Atomic-Scale Simulations of Sputter Deposition: Influence of Energetic Particles on Film Morphology
Abstract
The properties of thin films grown by sputtering are sensitive to the conditions in the deposition chamber. In particular, the Ar pressure affects the kinetic energies of Ar atoms and sputtered particles as they impinge on the growing film. In this talk, we present kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of thin film deposition which include these energetic particles. The Monte Carlo model includes surface diffusion and multiple crystalline orientations corresponding to polycrystalline material. A binary collision calculation is used to obtain the trajectories of the energetic particles and of the recoils. We discuss simulations which assess the influence of the energetic particles on faceting, surface roughness, density, and columnar and grain boundary microstructure. We present these results for different inclinations of the substrate. Finally, we compare our simulations with X-ray reflectance measurements on sputtered films of Ta, Ti, Al, and Cu.
- Publication:
-
APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- March 2000
- Bibcode:
- 2000APS..MARE33007D