In the case of magnetron sputtering, we have to fix the sputtering chamber pressure to a particular value. But after the formation of plasma, the chamber's pressure will increase. So, my query is that we have to consider the working pressure in the presence of plasma or the absence of plasma?
During the RF process, the meaningful parameter is the pressure during the deposition process - with the presence of the plasma.
See i.e.
Coatings 2021, 11, 132. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11020132:
"Prior to the experiment, the sputtering chamber was evacuated to be less than 1 × 10−6 Torr. For sputtering, RF power was kept at 160 W and Ar gas was used for plasma generation. Pressure was varied from 20 to 80 mTorr. The parameters chosen in this study are those commonly used in the RF sputtering process".
This process affects the quality and morphology of the coating, so during the characterization of the process, the pressure is one of the optimization parameters.
"The purpose of this study is to confirm how the generation of charged NPs depends on pressure and affects the film deposition during RF sputtering using a Ti target". Hope this helps.
Dear Madhav Bhat ,
You should provide two pressure values when reporting your experiments:
-the base pressure is the pressure before introducing the sputter gas in the deposition chamber. The lower the pressure, the better the vacuum in your system and therefore less pollutants in such environment. Typical values in UHV are on the 10-9 and 10-10 mbar range.
-the working pressure is the pressure during the deposition, i.e. with the sputter gas in the chamber in the plasma state. Typical values are on the 10-2 and 10-3 mbar range.
I agree with Jose-Miguel Garcia-Martin , what you typically see in most papers (almost all), are two pressures, before igniting plasma (referred to as working pressure, which is very important for many cases as it has a direct impact on the concentration of impurities in your films) and when plasma exists, referred to as working pressure or deposition pressure.
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