Modeling and plasma characteristics of high-power direct current discharge

To obtain both high ionization and high deposition rate, a modified global model for a continuous high-power DC magnetron sputtering (C-HPMS) is established by considering the continuous generation of the hot electrons and the high temperature caused by continuous high-power discharge. The results show that the plasma density is on the order of 10¹⁹ m^-3 for power densities of only 183 W cm^-2 (Al) and 117 W cm^-2 (Cu). The ionization rate exceeds 90% of high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) (peak power density of 564 W cm^-2) for a DC power density of 180 W cm^-2, and the total diffusion fluxes of the two targets are 26 (Al) and 30 (Cu) times that of conventional HiPIMS, leading to very high deposition rates. The work provides a theoretical basis for the realization of C-HPMS and gives an enlightenment to the development of deposition equipment for continuous high-power discharges.