I deposited TiN on SS 201 substrate by reactive magnetron sputttering. After the sputtering process patches appeared on the surface of my target - its surface got rough
What could be a possible reason for these patches??
Your target was bombarder by ions of plasma so it means that some amount of matereal was sputtered. In some literature the zone of target which changes its surface roughness or chemical composition during sputterin is called erosion zone. Here you can read about modeling of Studying Target Erosion in Sputtering Magnetrons
chrome-https://www.plansee.com/fileadmin/user_upload/RM12_Studying_Target_Erosion_in_Sputtering_Magnetrons_Using_a_Discrete_Numerical_Model.pdf
As Rafael Shakirzyanov already indicated, your target getting rough is quite normal and usually nothing to be concerned about.
A whole different thing is when you observe full holes in your target because if there are air inclusions, this may kill any process that's not producing oxide materials. In that case you should complain to your target manufacturer.
Surface roughness due to ion sputtering (Rafael Shakirzyanov) is well know process. But еhe roughness should be evenly distributed throughout the ion etch zone (in a magnetron in the form of a ring). If you get spots or patches, it could be a defect in the target or its contamination, a vacuum problem in the system, or a mixture of gases was used for etching.
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