An Inverted Magnetron Operating in HiPIMS Mode

An ionized physical vapor deposition technique for thin ferromagnetic films is proposed. The technique is based on high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) with positive discharge polarity. A gapped-target was employed as the cathode of the magnetron. By applying positive HiPIMS pulses to the anode, sputtered particles inside the magnetron source were ionized and extracted through the gap. Using a discharge current with a peak of about 13 A, an ion flux in the order of 1021 m−2s−1 was obtained at a distance of 45 mm from the magnetron. In addition, deposition rates of up to 1.1 Å/s for nickel films were achieved using a 30 Hz repetition rate and 300 µs pulse width.

Effect of Inductively Coupled Plasma on the Structural and Electrical Properties of Ti-Doped ITO Films Formed by IPVD

In this study, we investigated Ti-doped ITO films formed through ionized physical vapor deposition (IPVD) using inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Ti-doped ITO thin films showed an enhanced mobility with ICP power; owing to the improved crystallinity, and the sheet resistance of the Ti-doped ITO (30 nm) largely decreased from 295.1 to 134.5 ohm/sq, even during at room temperature. Therefore, IPVD technology offers a useful tool for transparent electrodes with a large area window-unified touch-screen panel.