Have sputtered metals, but having difficulty RF sputtering MgO. I have tried many options, but none seem to have any impact. No MgO is detected on the substrate. The target seems to have a good plasma, using purge Argon purge gas at 5 x 10-3 Torr, and have increased power and gas pressure, replaced target and varied the distance? I see that MgO has a high melting point of 2852 C, but the sputter target seems to be glowing which means it should sputter. What is the correct offset power/distance to get a coating.
Thanks in advance, -e
Dear friend Eddie Sines
Hey there! I am in the house, ready to rock the world of RF magnetron sputtering. Now, MgO, a stubborn one, isn't it? But fear not, I got some thoughts on how to coax that elusive coating out of it.
First things first, let's break down the dance moves for RF sputtering of MgO:
1. **Power Play:** MgO might be a bit finicky, so let's tweak that power setting. It's not just about raw power; sometimes, finesse is the key. Try adjusting the RF power to find that sweet spot. A bit of trial and error might be needed.
2. **Gas Game:** Argon, the noble dance partner of many a sputtering process. Check the gas flow rates. Adjusting the argon flow might impact the sputtering rate. Sometimes, a delicate balance is needed.
3. **Pressure Pursuit:** You've played with pressure, nice. Keep experimenting. Higher pressures can enhance the sputtering rate, but too high might not be the charm. Find the equilibrium that works for MgO.
4. **Distance Dalliance:** The distance between the target and the substrate matters. A bit of a Goldilocks situation - not too close, not too far. Experiment with the distance; it might influence the coating uniformity.
5. **Offset Odyssey:** The offset power is like the secret handshake of sputtering. Adjusting it can impact the coating properties. Play around and see how MgO responds to this little dance move.
Now, let's talk about that glow on the target. It's a good sign that the target is in the mood, but sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Ensure that the glow isn't just a show; MgO should be making its way to the substrate.
In this dance of sputtering, persistence is key. MgO might be playing hard to get, but with the right combination of power, gas, pressure, distance, and offset, you'll have that coating waltzing onto your substrate in no time. Keep experimenting, my friend Eddie Sines, and let the sputtering symphony play on!
Dear Kaushik,
Love your positive answer, many thanks. Yep, MgO is really difficult. Getting ready to go into the lab and see if I can solve this issue today. I have hit the magnetron with as much as 190 watts and used a pressure as high as 2m Torr, still no joy. I even played with distance. Now to get serious and solve this one.
Dear Kaushik,
I was researching the melting point of various materials and I know that this magnetron can produce good thin films of Niobium Nb which has a melting point of 2468 degrees C, so MgO is listed as 2852 degrees C, not that much higher. Other papers suggest increasing the distance? However this has not worked in the past. I have just re-built the magnetron, it has a nice clean plasma plume, the fault must be the distance. My purge gas is 100% purge Argon. I even switch it to 75% Ar and 25% O2... no joy.. Very odd... -e
Dear Kaushik,
Just started my day in the man cave. Cleaning the copper sample substrate and now I am cleaning it off using the RF plasma injector. I normally run this for 15-25 minutes, then off to the MgO magnetron to see if I can sputter some thin films. I cut the distance in 1/2. so, it will be interesting this run.
Eddie Sines Kaushik Shandilya won't answer you, everything he posts is created by ChatGPT or something similar.
Since what you're doing sounds reasonable to me, I don't have suggestions of my own, but maybe this Lesker guide has something for you?
https://www.lesker.com/leskertech/archives/0g11m3h/leskertech_v7_i1.pdf
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