The sputtering of ITO-layers by pulsed plasmas

In our work we demonstrated how metallic In/Sn targets can be employed for the sputtering of ITO layers. Furthermore, new pulse technologies were introduced and discussed in terms of their influence onto the layer properties. We suggest a scheme for the evaluation of distinct pulse geometries that is based on the mean energy of particles and does not rely on rather unphysical parameters such as duty cycles, on-times etc. A Monte Carlo simulation of the particle flow is used to determine essential properties of the particular pulsed plasma sputter process. The discussed pulse forms include the novel pulse package technique. Thus a valuable insight into the kinetics of pulsed plasmas is gained. The comparison of the results of our calculation to our experimental data suggests a correlation between the particle energy and achievable sheet resistivity. This opens new ways for any user of pulsed plasmas to optimize the pulse parameters.