| 1. |
- Akrami, Y., et al.
(author)
-
Planck 2018 results : XI. Polarized dust foregrounds
- 2020
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP SCIENCES S A. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 641
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The study of polarized dust emission has become entwined with the analysis of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization in the quest for the curl-like B-mode polarization from primordial gravitational waves and the low-multipole E-mode polarization associated with the reionization of the Universe. We used the new Planck PR3 maps to characterize Galactic dust emission at high latitudes as a foreground to the CMB polarization and use end-to-end simulations to compute uncertainties and assess the statistical significance of our measurements. We present PlanckEE, BB, and TE power spectra of dust polarization at 353 GHz for a set of six nested high-Galactic-latitude sky regions covering from 24 to 71% of the sky. We present power-law fits to the angular power spectra, yielding evidence for statistically significant variations of the exponents over sky regions and a difference between the values for the EE and BB spectra, which for the largest sky region are alpha (EE)=-2.42 +/- 0.02 and alpha (BB)=-2.54 +/- 0.02, respectively. The spectra show that the TE correlation and E/B power asymmetry discovered by Planck extend to low multipoles that were not included in earlier Planck polarization papers due to residual data systematics. We also report evidence for a positive TB dust signal. Combining data from Planck and WMAP, we have determined the amplitudes and spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of polarized foregrounds, including the correlation between dust and synchrotron polarized emission, for the six sky regions as a function of multipole. This quantifies the challenge of the component-separation procedure that is required for measuring the low-l reionization CMB E-mode signal and detecting the reionization and recombination peaks of primordial CMB B modes. The SED of polarized dust emission is fit well by a single-temperature modified black-body emission law from 353 GHz to below 70 GHz. For a dust temperature of 19.6 K, the mean dust spectral index for dust polarization is beta (P)(d) = 1.53 +/- 0.02 beta d P = 1.53 +/- 0.02 . The difference between indices for polarization and total intensity is beta (P)(d)-beta (I)(d) = 0.05 +/- 0.03 beta d P - beta d I =0.05 +/- 0.03 . By fitting multi-frequency cross-spectra between Planck data at 100, 143, 217, and 353 GHz, we examine the correlation of the dust polarization maps across frequency. We find no evidence for a loss of correlation and provide lower limits to the correlation ratio that are tighter than values we derive from the correlation of the 217- and 353 GHz maps alone. If the Planck limit on decorrelation for the largest sky region applies to the smaller sky regions observed by sub-orbital experiments, then frequency decorrelation of dust polarization might not be a problem for CMB experiments aiming at a primordial B-mode detection limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r similar or equal to 0.01 at the recombination peak. However, the Planck sensitivity precludes identifying how difficult the component-separation problem will be for more ambitious experiments targeting lower limits on r.
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| 2. |
- Thorgeirsson, Thorgeir E, et al.
(author)
-
A variant associated with nicotine dependence, lung cancer and peripheral arterial disease
- 2008
-
In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 452:7187, s. 9-638
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death, causing about 5 million premature deaths worldwide each year(1,2). Evidence for genetic influence on smoking behaviour and nicotine dependence (ND)(3-8) has prompted a search for susceptibility genes. Furthermore, assessing the impact of sequence variants on smoking-related diseases is important to public health(9,10). Smoking is the major risk factor for lung cancer (LC)(11-14) and is one of the main risk factors for peripheral arterial disease (PAD)(15-17). Here we identify a common variant in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene cluster on chromosome 15q24 with an effect on smoking quantity, ND and the risk of two smoking- related diseases in populations of European descent. The variant has an effect on the number of cigarettes smoked per day in our sample of smokers. The same variant was associated with ND in a previous genomewide association study that used low- quantity smokers as controls(18,19), and with a similar approach we observe a highly significant association with ND. A comparison of cases of LC and PAD with population controls each showed that the variant confers risk of LC and PAD. The findings provide a case study of a gene - environment interaction(20), highlighting the role of nicotine addiction in the pathology of other serious diseases.
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| 3. |
- Ade, Peter, et al.
(author)
-
The Simons Observatory : science goals and forecasts
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 1475-7516. ; :2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Simons Observatory (SO) is a new cosmic microwave background experiment being built on Cerro Toco in Chile, due to begin observations in the early 2020s. We describe the scientific goals of the experiment, motivate the design, and forecast its performance. SO will measure the temperature and polarization anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background in six frequency bands centered at: 27, 39, 93, 145, 225 and 280 GHz. The initial con figuration of SO will have three small-aperture 0.5-m telescopes and one large-aperture 6-m telescope, with a total of 60,000 cryogenic bolometers. Our key science goals are to characterize the primordial perturbations, measure the number of relativistic species and the mass of neutrinos, test for deviations from a cosmological constant, improve our understanding of galaxy evolution, and constrain the duration of reionization. The small aperture telescopes will target the largest angular scales observable from Chile, mapping approximate to 10% of the sky to a white noise level of 2 mu K-arcmin in combined 93 and 145 GHz bands, to measure the primordial tensor-to-scalar ratio, r, at a target level of sigma(r) = 0.003. The large aperture telescope will map approximate to 40% of the sky at arcminute angular resolution to an expected white noise level of 6 mu K-arcmin in combined 93 and 145 GHz bands, overlapping with the majority of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope sky region and partially with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument. With up to an order of magnitude lower polarization noise than maps from the Planck satellite, the high-resolution sky maps will constrain cosmological parameters derived from the damping tail, gravitational lensing of the microwave background, the primordial bispectrum, and the thermal and kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effects, and will aid in delensing the large-angle polarization signal to measure the tensor-to-scalar ratio. The survey will also provide a legacy catalog of 16,000 galaxy clusters and more than 20,000 extragalactic sources.
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| 4. |
- Kubart, Tomas, 1977-, et al.
(author)
-
Reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering
- 2019
-
In: High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering: Fundamentals, Technologies, Challenges and Applications. - : Elsevier. - 9780128124543 - 9780128124550 ; , s. 223-263
-
Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Reactive magnetron sputtering is essential in many industrial processes where it is applied to deposit compound films or coatings. Reactive sputtering is attractive because a range of compounds can be prepared from a low-cost metal target by addition of an appropriate reactive gas to the noble working gas. To understand the reactive HiPIMS process, we here start with an overview of reactive sputtering and an introduction to process hysteresis in dcMS, which is followed by an overview of fundamental surface and plasma processes focusing on the behavior specific for reactive sputtering. In the second half of the chapter, HiPIMS-specific aspects of reactive sputtering are reviewed. This includes hysteresis in reactive HiPIMS operation, which is the subject of much debate, as some report reduction or elimination of the hysteresis effect, while others claim that a feedback control is essential. To provide a deeper insight into the process physics, a combination of experimental and computational model results are presented and discussed throughout the text.
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| 5. |
- Agnarsson, Björn, 1977, et al.
(author)
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Rutile TiO 2 thin films grown by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering
- 2013
-
In: Thin Solid Films. - : Elsevier BV. - 0040-6090 .- 1879-2731. ; 545, s. 445-450
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Thin TiO 2 films were grown on Si(001) substrates by reactive dc magnetron sputtering (dcMS) and high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) at temperatures ranging from 300 to 700 C.Optical and structural properties of films were compared both before and after post-annealing using scanning electron microscopy, low angle X-ray reflection (XRR), grazing inc idence X-ray diffractometry and spectroscopic ellipsometry.Both dcMS- and HiPIMS-grown films reveal polycrystalline rutile TiO 2 , even prior to post-annealing.The HiPIMS-grown films exhibit significantly larger grains compared to that of dcMC-grown films, approaching 100% of the film thickness for films grown at 700 C.In addition, the XRR surface roughness of HiPIMS-grown films was significantly lower than that of dcMS-grown films over the whole temperature range 300-700 C.Dispersion curves could only be obtained for the HiPIMS-grown films, which were shown to have a refractive index in the range of 2.7-2.85 at 500 nm.The results show that thin, rutile TiO 2 films, with high refractive index, can be obtained by HiPIMS at relatively low growth temperatures, without post-annealing.Furthermore, these films are smoother and show better optical characteristics than their dcMS-grown counterparts.© 2013 Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Agustsson, J. S., et al.
(author)
-
Electrical resistivity and morphology of ultra thin Pt films grown by dc magnetron sputtering on SiO(2)
- 2008
-
In: Journal of Physics Conference Series. - : IOP Science. - 1742-6596.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ultra thin platinum films were grown by dc magnetron sputtering on thermally oxidized Si (100) substrates. The electrical resistance of the films was monitored in-situ during growth. The coalescence thickness was determined for various growth temperatures and found to increase from 1.3 nm for films grown at room temperature to 1.8 nm for films grown at 250 degrees C, while a continuous film was formed at a thickness of 3.9 nm at room temperature and 3.5 nm at 250 degrees C. The electrical resistivity increases with increased growth temperature, as well as the morphological grain size, and the surface roughness, measured with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM).
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| 7. |
- Agustsson, J. S., et al.
(author)
-
Growth, coalescence, and electrical resistivity of thin Pt films grown by dc magnetron sputtering on SiO2
- 2008
-
In: Applied Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-4332 .- 1873-5584. ; 254:22, s. 7356-7360
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ultra thin platinum films were grown by dc magnetron sputtering on thermally oxidized Si (100) substrates. The electrical resistance of the films was monitored in situ during growth. The coalescence thickness was determined for various growth temperatures and found to increase from 1.1 nm for films grown at room temperature to 3.3 nm for films grown at 400 degrees C. A continuous film was formed at a thickness of 2.9 nm at room temperature and 7.5 nm at 400 degrees C. The room temperature electrical resistivity decreases with increased growth temperature, while the in-plain grain size and the surface roughness, measured with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), increase. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the film electrical resistance was explored at various stages during growth.
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| 8. |
- Antunes, V. G., et al.
(author)
-
Influence of the magnetic field on the extension of the ionization region in high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges
- 2023
-
In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 32:7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge brings about increased ionization of the sputtered atoms due to an increased electron density and efficient electron energization during the active period of the pulse. The ionization is effective mainly within the electron trapping zone, an ionization region (IR), defined by the magnet configuration. Here, the average extension and the volume of the IR are determined based on measuring the optical emission from an excited level of the argon working gas atoms. For particular HiPIMS conditions, argon species ionization and excitation processes are assumed to be proportional. Hence, the light emission from certain excited atoms is assumed to reflect the IR extension. The light emission was recorded above a 100 mm diameter titanium target through a 763 nm bandpass filter using a gated camera. The recorded images directly indicate the effect of the magnet configuration on the average IR size. It is observed that the shape of the IR matches the shape of the magnetic field lines rather well. The IR is found to expand from 10 and 17 mm from the target surface when the parallel magnetic field strength 11 mm above the racetrack is lowered from 24 to 12 mT at a constant peak discharge current.
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| 9. |
- Arrowsmith, C. D., et al.
(author)
-
Generating ultradense pair beams using 400 GeV/c protons
- 2021
-
In: Physical Review Research. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 2643-1564. ; 3:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An experimental scheme is presented for generating low-divergence, ultradense, relativistic, electron-positron beams using 400 GeV/c protons available at facilities such as HiRadMat and AWAKE at CERN. Preliminary Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate the possibility of generating beams containing 10(13)-10(14) electron-positron pairs at sufficiently high densities to drive collisionless beam-plasma instabilities, which are expected to play an important role in magnetic field generation and the related radiation signatures of relativistic astrophysical phenomena. The pair beams are quasineutral, with size exceeding several skin depths in all dimensions, allowing the examination of the effect of competition between transverse and longitudinal instability modes on the growth of magnetic fields. Furthermore, the presented scheme allows for the possibility of controlling the relative density of hadrons to electron-positron pairs in the beam, making it possible to explore the parameter spaces for different astrophysical environments.
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| 10. |
- Arrowsmith, C. D., et al.
(author)
-
Inductively-coupled plasma discharge for use in high-energy-density science experiments
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-0221. ; 18:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inductively-coupled plasma discharges are well-suited as plasma sources for experiments in fundamental high-energy density science, which require large volume and stable plasmas. For example, experiments studying particle beam-plasma instabilities and the emergence of coherent macroscopic structures - which are key for modelling emission from collisionless shocks present in many astrophysical phenomena. A meter-length, table-top, inductive radio-frequency discharge has been constructed for use in a high-energy density science experiment at CERN which will study plasma instabilities of a relativistic electron-positron beam. In this case, a large volume is necessary for the beam to remain inside the plasma as it diverges to centimeter-scale diameters during the tens-of-centimeters of propagation needed for instabilities to develop. Langmuir probe measurements of the plasma parameters show that plasma can be stably sustained in the discharge with electron densities exceeding 1011 cm-3. The discharge has been assembled using commercially-available components, making it an accessible option for commissioning at a University laboratory.
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| 11. |
- Arrowsmith, C. D., et al.
(author)
-
Laboratory realization of relativistic pair-plasma beams
- 2024
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 15:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Relativistic electron-positron plasmas are ubiquitous in extreme astrophysical environments such as black-hole and neutron-star magnetospheres, where accretion-powered jets and pulsar winds are expected to be enriched with electron-positron pairs. Their role in the dynamics of such environments is in many cases believed to be fundamental, but their behavior differs significantly from typical electron-ion plasmas due to the matter-antimatter symmetry of the charged components. So far, our experimental inability to produce large yields of positrons in quasi-neutral beams has restricted the understanding of electron-positron pair plasmas to simple numerical and analytical studies, which are rather limited. We present the first experimental results confirming the generation of high-density, quasi-neutral, relativistic electron-positron pair beams using the 440 GeV/c beam at CERN’s Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator. Monte Carlo simulations agree well with the experimental data and show that the characteristic scales necessary for collective plasma behavior, such as the Debye length and the collisionless skin depth, are exceeded by the measured size of the produced pair beams. Our work opens up the possibility of directly probing the microphysics of pair plasmas beyond quasi-linear evolution into regimes that are challenging to simulate or measure via astronomical observations.
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| 12. |
- Babu, Swetha Suresh, et al.
(author)
-
High power impulse magnetron sputtering of tungsten : a comparison of experimental and modelling results
- 2023
-
In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 32:3, s. 034003-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Here, we compare the ionization region model (IRM) against experimental measurements of particle densities and electron temperature in a high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharge with a tungsten target. The semi-empirical model provides volume-averaged temporal variations of the various species densities as well as the electron energy for a particular cathode target material, when given the measured discharge current and voltage waveforms. The model results are compared to the temporal evolution of the electron density and the electron temperature determined by Thomson scattering measurements and the temporal evolution of the relative neutral and ion densities determined by optical emission spectrometry. While the model underestimates the electron density and overestimates the electron temperature, the temporal trends of the species densities and the electron temperature are well captured by the IRM.
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| 13. |
- Babu, Swetha Suresh, et al.
(author)
-
Modeling of high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges with tungsten target
- 2022
-
In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 31:6, s. 065009-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ionization region model (IRM) is applied to model a high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharge with a tungsten target. The IRM gives the temporal variation of the various species and the average electron energy, as well as internal discharge parameters such as the ionization probability and the back-attraction probability of the sputtered species. It is shown that an initial peak in the discharge current is due to argon ions bombarding the cathode target. After the initial peak, the W+ ions become the dominating ions and remain as such to the end of the pulse. We demonstrate how the contribution of the W+ ions to the total discharge current at the target surface increases with increased discharge voltage for peak discharge current densities J (D,peak) in the range 0.33-0.73 A cm(-2). For the sputtered tungsten the ionization probability increases, while the back-attraction probability decreases with increasing discharge voltage. Furthermore, we discuss the findings in terms of the generalized recycling model and compare to experimentally determined deposition rates and find good agreement.
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| 14. |
- Barynova, Kateryna, et al.
(author)
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On working gas rarefaction in high power impulse magnetron sputtering
- 2024
-
In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 33:6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ionization region model (IRM) is applied to explore working gas rarefaction in high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges operated with graphite, aluminum, copper, titanium, zirconium, and tungsten targets. For all cases the working gas rarefaction is found to be significant, the degree of working gas rarefaction reaches values of up to 83%. The various contributions to working gas rarefaction, including electron impact ionization, kick-out by the sputtered species or hot argon atoms, and diffusion, are evaluated and compared for the different target materials, and over a range of discharge current densities. The relative importance of the various processes varies between different target materials. In the case of a graphite target with argon as the working gas at 1 Pa, electron impact ionization (by both primary and secondary electrons) is the dominating contributor to working gas rarefaction, with over 90% contribution, while the contribution of sputter wind kick-out is small < 10 %. In the case of copper and tungsten targets, the kick-out dominates, with up to ∼60% contribution at 1 Pa. For metallic targets the kick-out is mainly due to metal atoms sputtered from the target, while for the graphite target the small kick-out contribution is mainly due to kick-out by hot argon atoms and to a smaller extent by carbon atoms. The main factors determining the relative contribution of the kick-out by the sputtered species to working gas rarefaction appear to be the sputter yield and the working gas pressure.
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| 15. |
- Brenning, Nils, et al.
(author)
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A unified treatment of self-sputtering, process gas recycling, and runaway for high power impulse sputtering magnetrons
- 2017
-
In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 26:12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The combined processes of self-sputter (SS)-recycling and process gas recycling in high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharges are analyzed using the generalized recycling model (GRM). The study uses experimental data from discharges with current densities from the direct current magnetron sputtering range to the HiPIMS range, and using targets with self-sputter yields Y-SS from approximate to 0.1 to 2.6. The GRM analysis reveals that, above a critical current density of the order of J(crit) approximate to 0.2 A cm(-2), a combination of self-sputter recycling and gas-recycling is generally the case. The relative contributions of these recycling mechanisms, in turn, influence both the electron energy distribution and the stability of the discharges. For high self-sputter yields, above Y-SS approximate to 1, the discharges become dominated by SS-recycling, contain few hot secondary electrons from sheath energization, and have a relatively low electron temperature T-e. Here, stable plateau values of the discharge current develop during long pulses, and these values increase monotonically with the applied voltage. For low self-sputter yields, below Y-SS approximate to 0.2, the discharges above J(crit) are dominated by process gas recycling, have a significant sheath energization of secondary electrons and a higher T-e, and the current evolution is generally less stable. For intermediate values of YSS the discharge character gradually shifts between these two types. All of these discharges can, at sufficiently high discharge voltage, give currents that increase rapidly in time. For such cases we propose that a distinction should be made between 'unlimited' runaway and 'limited' runaway: in unlimited runaway the current can, in principle, increase without a limit for a fixed discharge voltage, while in limited runaway it can only grow towards finite, albeit very high, levels. For unlimited runway Y-SS > 1 is found to be a necessary criterion, independent of the amount of gas-recycling in the discharge.
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| 16. |
- Brenning, Nils, et al.
(author)
-
HiPIMS optimization by using mixed high-power and low-power pulsing
- 2021
-
In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 30:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The possibility to optimize a high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge through mixing two different power levels in the pulse pattern is investigated. Standard HiPIMS pulses are used to create the ions of the film-forming material. After each HiPIMS pulse an off-time follows, during which no voltage (or, optionally, a reversed voltage) is applied, letting the remaining ions in the magnetic trap escape towards the substrate. After these off-times, a long second pulse with lower amplitude, in the dc magnetron sputtering range, is applied. During this pulse, which is continued up to the following HiPIMS pulse, mainly neutrals of the film-forming material are produced. This pulse pattern makes it possible to achieve separate optimization of the ion production, and of the neutral atom production, that constitute the film-forming flux to the substrate. The optimization process is thereby separated into two sub-problems. The first sub-problem concerns minimizing the energy cost for ion production, and the second sub-problem deals with how to best split a given allowed discharge power between ion production and neutral production. The optimum power split is decided by the lowest ionized flux fraction that gives the desired film properties for a specific application. For the first sub-problem we describe a method where optimization is achieved by the selection of five process parameters: the HiPIMS pulse amplitude, the HiPIMS pulse length, the off-time, the working gas pressure, and the magnetic field strength. For the second sub-problem, the splitting of power between ion and neutral production, optimization is achieved by the selection of the values of two remaining process parameters, the HiPIMS pulse repetition frequency and the discharge voltage of the low-power pulse.
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| 17. |
- Brenning, Nils, et al.
(author)
-
Optimization of HiPIMS discharges : The selection of pulse power, pulse length, gas pressure, and magnetic field strength
- 2020
-
In: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. A. Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films. - : American Vacuum Society. - 0734-2101 .- 1520-8559. ; 38:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) operation, there are basically two goals: a high ionized flux fraction of the sputtered target material and a high deposition rate. In this work, it is demonstrated that the former always comes at the cost of the latter. This makes a choice necessary, referred to as the HiPIMS compromise. It is here proposed that this compromise is most easily made by varying the discharge current amplitude, which opens up for optimization of additionally four external process parameters: the pulse length, the working gas pressure, the magnetic field strength, and the degree of magnetic unbalance to achieve the optimum combination of the ionized flux fraction and the deposition rate. As a figure of merit, useful for comparing different discharges, ( 1 - beta t ) is identified, which is the fraction of ionized sputtered material that escapes back-attraction toward the cathode target. It is shown that a discharge with a higher value of ( 1 - beta t ) always can be arranged to give better combinations of ionization and deposition rate than a discharge with a lower ( 1 - beta t ). Maximization of ( 1 - beta t ) is carried out empirically, based on data from two discharges with Ti targets in Ar working gas. These discharges were first modeled in order to convert measured plasma parameters to values of ( 1 - beta t ). The combined effects of varying the different process parameters were then analyzed using a process flow chart model. The effect of varying the degree of unbalance in the studied range was small. For the remaining three parameters, it is found that optimum is achieved by minimizing the magnetic field strength, minimizing the working gas pressure, and minimizing the pulse length as far as compatible with the requirement to ignite and maintain a stable discharge.
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| 18. |
- Brenning, Nils, et al.
(author)
-
The role of Ohmic heating in dc magnetron sputtering
- 2016
-
In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 25:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sustaining a plasma in a magnetron discharge requires energization of the plasma electrons. In this work, Ohmic heating of electrons outside the cathode sheath is demonstrated to be typically of the same order as sheath energization, and a simple physical explanation is given. We propose a generalized Thornton equation that includes both sheath energization and Ohmic heating of electrons. The secondary electron emission yield gamma(SE) is identified as the key parameter determining the relative importance of the two processes. For a conventional 5 cm diameter planar dc magnetron, Ohmic heating is found to be more important than sheath energization for secondary electron emission yields below around 0.1.
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| 19. |
- Butler, Alexandre, et al.
(author)
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On three different ways to quantify the degree of ionization in sputtering magnetrons
- 2018
-
In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 27:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quantification and control of the fraction of ionization of the sputtered species are crucial in magnetron sputtering, and in particular in high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS), yet proper definitions of the various concepts of ionization are still lacking. In this contribution, we distinguish between three approaches to describe the degree (or fraction) of ionization: the ionized flux fraction F-flux, the ionized density fraction F-density, and the fraction a of the sputtered metal atoms that become ionized in the plasma (sometimes referred to as probability of ionization). By studying a reference HiPIMS discharge with a Ti target, we show how to extract absolute values of these three parameters and how they vary with peak discharge current. Using a simple model, we also identify the physical mechanisms that determine F-flux, F-density, and a as well as how these three concepts of ionization are related. This analysis finally explains why a high ionization probability does not necessarily lead to an equally high ionized flux fraction or ionized density fraction.
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| 20. |
- Čada, M., et al.
(author)
-
Electron dynamics in high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges
- 2019
-
In: High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering: Fundamentals, Technologies, Challenges and Applications. - : Elsevier. - 9780128124543 - 9780128124550 ; , s. 81-110
-
Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Electrons are the main energy carriers in HiPIMS discharges and their properties govern the ionization processes and thus the discharge properties. The properties of the electrons are described by the fundamental plasma parameters, such as the electron density, the effective electron temperature, the plasma potential, and the floating potential . Electrons are responsible for some of the most important inelastic collision processes taking place in the plasma volume, like ionization of working gas atoms and the atoms of the sputtered material, excitation of atoms to higher energetic levels, excitation of molecules to higher vibrational or rotational states, dissociation of molecules, occurring in particular in reactive sputtering processes, and creation of negative ions by attachment processes. In this chapter we give an extended overview of the measured fundamental plasma parameters related to electrons. The characterization methods applied, such as Langmuir probe, emissive probe, and triple probe, will be demonstrated as suitable methods for temporally and spatially resolved investigations. The analysis of the plasma characteristics reported in this chapter will help us identify desired discharge conditions and serves as important input to the discussion of the HiPIMS discharge physics given in Chapter 7.
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| 21. |
- Čada, M., et al.
(author)
-
Heavy species dynamics in high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges
- 2019
-
In: High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering: Fundamentals, Technologies, Challenges and Applications. - : Elsevier. - 9780128124543 - 9780128124550 ; , s. 111-158
-
Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The energy and the composition of the film forming species strongly influence the properties of the films being deposited. In HiPIMS, the film forming material consists of neutral atoms sputtered off the target and its ions. In the case of reactive sputtering, atoms, molecules and ions of the reactive gas also contribute to the film. In this chapter we give an extended overview of the measured fundamental plasma parameters related to ions and neutrals along with a description of suitable techniques for characterizing these species. One of the key differences between dcMS and HiPIMS is the ionization fraction of the sputtered material. Here we also discuss the methods applied to determine the ionization fraction of the sputtered material and the different ways it is quantified, and then survey the ionized flux fraction determined for the HiPIMS discharge. Furthermore, the method of laser-induced fluorescence is utilized to explore the spatio-temporal behavior of the ions and neutrals, and the observations are discussed. We also discuss and compare the ion energy distribution from dcMS and HiPIMS discharges.
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| 22. |
- Eliasson, H., et al.
(author)
-
Modeling of high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges with graphite target
- 2021
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In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 30:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ionization region model (IRM) is applied to model a high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharge in argon with a graphite target. Using the IRM, the temporal variation of the various species and the average electron energy, as well as internal parameters such as the ionization probability, back-attraction probability, and the ionized flux fraction of the sputtered species, is determined. It is found that thedischarge develops into working gas recycling and most of the discharge current at the cathode target surface is composed of Ar+ ions, which constitute over 90% of the discharge current, while the contribution of the C+ ions is always small (<5%), even for peak current densities close to 3 A cm(-2). For the target species, the time-averaged ionization probability is low, or 13-27%, the ion back-attraction probability during the pulse is high (>92%), and the ionized flux fraction is about 2%. It is concluded that in the operation range studied here it is a challenge to ionize carbon atoms, that are sputtered off of a graphite target in a magnetron sputtering discharge, when depositing amorphous carbon films.
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| 23. |
- Fischer, Joel, et al.
(author)
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Insights into the copper HiPIMS discharge : deposition rate and ionised flux fraction
- 2023
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In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 32:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The influence of pulse length, working gas pressure, and peak discharge current density on the deposition rate and ionised flux fraction in high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges of copper is investigated experimentally using a charge-selective (electrically biasable) magnetically shielded quartz crystal microbalance (or ionmeter). The large explored parameter space covers both common process conditions and extreme cases. The measured ionised flux fraction for copper is found to be in the range from ≈10% to 80%, and to increase with increasing peak discharge current density up to a maximum at ≈ 1.25 A cm − 2 , before abruptly falling off at even higher current density values. Low working gas pressure is shown to be beneficial in terms of both ionised flux fraction and deposition rate fraction. For example, decreasing the working gas pressure from 1.0 Pa to 0.5 Pa leads on average to an increase of the ionised flux fraction by ≈ 14 percentage points (pp) and of the deposition rate fraction by ≈ 4 pp taking into account all the investigated pulse lengths.
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| 24. |
- Giono, Gabriel, et al.
(author)
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Non-Maxwellian electron energy probability functions in the plume of a SPT-100 Hall thruster
- 2018
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In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 27:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present measurements of the electron density, the effective electron temperature, the plasma potential, and the electron energy probability function (EEPF) in the plume of a 1.5 kW-class SPT-100 Hall thruster, derived from cylindrical Langmuir probe measurements. The measurements were taken on the plume axis at distances between 550 and 1550 mm from the thruster exit plane, and at different angles from the plume axis at 550 mm for three operating points of the thruster, characterized by different discharge voltages and mass flow rates. The bulk of the electron population can be approximated as a Maxwellian distribution, but the measured distributions were seen to decline faster at higher energy. The measured EEPFs were best modelled with a general EEPF with an exponent a between 1.2 and 1.5, and their axial and angular characteristics were studied for the different operating points of the thruster. As a result, the exponent a from the fitted distribution was seen to be almost constant as a function of the axial distance along the plume, as well as across the angles. However, the exponent a was seen to be affected by the mass flow rate, suggesting a possible relationship with the collision rate, especially close to the thruster exit. The ratio of the specific heats, the. factor, between the measured plasma parameters was found to be lower than the adiabatic value of 5/3 for each of the thruster settings, indicating the existence of non-trivial kinetic heat fluxes in the near collisionless plume. These results are intended to be used as input and/or testing properties for plume expansion models in further work.
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| 25. |
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