Studies on Copper Nanometric-Film Deposited by an In-House Developed DC Magnetron Sputtering System

Copper nanofilms are extensively used in the field of material science research. Nanoparticles and nanostructures of copper have various utilities in the field of photocatalytic and sensor applications. The transition metal nanoparticles and nanostructures supply plenty free electrons which drastically enhances the optical and electrical properties compared to bulk material. Here, copper thin films have been deposited on glass slides and silicon substrates using an indigenously developed DC magnetron sputtering system. These depositions have been carried out at three different time spans keeping the magnetron discharge current, working vacuum and target to substrate distance unaltered. The objective of this work is to study the crystalline structure and measure the thickness of the copper nanofilm deposited at three different times. The synthesized films were characterized by using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS). Characteristic peaks of copper (111) along with Cu2O (110), (220) and (111) were obtained from the XRD pattern. The average grain size of the deposited films has been calculated using Debye-Scherrer equation. The film thickness ranging from 80-160 nm for various time spans were measured from depth profile analysis using SIMS data.

Effect of gas pressure on ion energy at substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency and very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering discharge

The effect of gas pressure on ion energy distribution at the substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency (RF) and very-high-frequency (VHF) magnetron sputtering discharge was investigated. At the lower pressure, the evolution of maximum ion energy (E) with the discharge voltage (V) varied with the excitation frequency, due to the joint contribution of the ion generation in the bulk plasma and the ion movement across the sheath related to the ion transit sheath time τi and RF period RF. At the higher pressure, the evolution of E-V relationships do not vary with the excitation frequency, due to the balance between the energy lost through collisions and the energy gained by acceleration in the electric field. Therefore, for the RF and VHF magnetron discharge, the lower gas pressure can have a clear influence on the E-V relationship.

Additive Production of a Material Based on an Acrylic Polymer with a Nanoscale Layer of Zno Nanorods Deposited Using a Direct Current Magnetron Discharge: Morphology, Photoconversion Properties, and Biosafety

On the basis of a direct current magnetron, a technology has been developed for producing nanoscale-oriented nanorods from zinc oxide on an acrylic polymer. The technology makes it possible to achieve different filling of the surface with zinc oxide nanorods. The nanorods is partially fused into the polymer; the cross section of the nanorods is rather close to an elongated ellipse. It is shown that, with intense abrasion, no delamination of the nanorods from the acrylic polymer is observed. The zinc oxide nanorods abrades together with the acrylic polymer. Zinc oxide nanorods luminesces with the wavelength most preferable for the process of photosynthesis in higher plants. It was shown that plants grown under the obtained material grow faster and gain biomass faster than the control group. In addition, it was found that on surfaces containing zinc oxide nanorods, a more intense formation of such reactive oxygen species as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical is observed. Intensive formation of long-lived, active forms of the protein is observed on the zinc oxide coating. The formation of 8-oxoguanine in DNA in vitro on a zinc oxide coating was shown using ELISA method. It was found that the multiplication of microorganisms on the developed material is significantly hampered. At the same time, eukaryotic cells of animals grow and develop without hindrance. Thus, the material we have obtained can be used in photonics (photoconversion material for greenhouses, housings for LEDs), and it is also an affordable and non-toxic nanomaterial for creating antibacterial coatings.

Effect of working gas pressure on mass-to-charge composition of plasma ions in high-current planar magnetron discharge

The mass-to-charge ion composition of a planar magnetron discharge plasma has been investigated. The measurements used a modified quadrupole mass-spectrometer and a time-of-flight spectrometer. The experiments were carried out on a copper magnetron target. Argon was used as a working gas. The operating pressure was 0.15÷1.3 Pa. The discharge current was 1÷20 A with a pulse duration of 30÷50 μs. The influence of main operating parameters (discharge current and working gas pressure) on mass-to-charge composition of plasma ions was measured. The mass-to-charge composition of plasma ions in the axial direction was measured as a function of working pressure. Plasma electron temperature was measured and its effect on the mass-to-charge composition of magnetron plasma ions was estimated.

Transition from ballistic to thermalized transport of the metal sputtered species in DC magnetron

Tunable Diode Laser Induced Fluorescence (TD-LIF) technique has been optimized to accurately measure the titanium (Ti) sputtered Atoms Velocity Distribution Functions (AVDF) in a magnetron discharge operating in Direct Current (DC) mode. The high spatial and spectral resolution achieved unveils some features of the transport of the metal sputtered atoms and their thermalization. The two groups of thermalized and energetic atoms have been very well separated compared to previous works. Hence, the fitting of the energetic atoms group shows dumping from modified Thompson to Gauss distribution when the product pressure-distance from the target increases. In parallel, sputtered metal transport from the target has been simulated using the Monte Carlo collision (MCC) approach. The direct comparison between numerical and experimental results led to an improved cross section for Titanium - Argon momentum transfer, based on the \textit{ab initio} formulae of the interaction potential derived from noble gases interaction. The numerical parametric study of the angular distribution and cut-off energy for the initial distribution of sputtered atoms steered to a precise characterization of the initial conditions, allowed by the accuracy of experimental data. A very good overall agreement is obtained for measured and calculated AVDFs. The confrontation between measured and modeling results emphasized the major role played by the argon ions not only in the sputtering process but also in the neutral metal transport, by the gas rarefaction near the target. The microscopic description provided by the MCC model clearly reveals different transport regimes: ballistic, diffusive, and back-scattering and brings new insights on the thermalization of sputtered species in the intermediate pressure range.

Carbon nanostructure growth: new application of magnetron discharge

Purpose: The application of a common magnetron discharge to the growth of carbon nanostructures is studied. The simplicity of the proposed technique can be beneficial for the development of new plasma reactors for large-scale production of carbon nanostructures. Design/methodology/approach: Graphite cathode was treated by carbon-containing powder accelerated by use of nozzle, and then aged in hydrogen. Superposition of glow and arc discharges was obtained, when putting the cathode under the negative biasing with respect to the walls of a vacuum chamber. The pulsed discharge was preserved through the whole time of treatment. This process was explained in terms of interaction of glow discharge plasma with a surface of the cathode made of non-melting material. Findings: The plasma treatment resulted in generation of the diverse nanostructures confirmed by SEM and TEM images. Spruce-like nanostructures and nanofibers are observed near the cathode edge where the plasma was less dense; a grass-like structure was grown in the area of “race-track”; net-like nanostructures are found among the nanofibers. These findings allow concluding about the possible implementation of the proposed method in industry. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation is conditioned by an explosive nature of nanostructure generation in arcs; thus, more elaborate design of the setup should be developed in order to collect the nanospecies in the following study. Practical implications: High-productivity plasma process of nanosynthesis was confirmed in this research. It can be used for possible manufacturing of field emitters, gas sensors, and supercapacitors. Originality/value: Synthesis of carbon nanostructures is conducted by use of a simple and well-known technique of magnetron sputtering deposition where a preliminary surface treatment is added to expand the production yield and diversity of the obtained nanostructures.

Effect of magnetic field on plasma characteristics in magnetron discharge with hollow cathode

The effect of magnetic field on plasma characteristics in a magnetron with a hollow cathode was carried out. The magnetic field in this device is of complex geometry, since it consists of many permanent magnets and an electromagnet. The calculated geometries of the magnetic field were used in experimental studies. Measurements have shown that the magnitude and geometry of the magnetic field have a strong effect on the plasma parameters.