Jeon-Geon Han

Determination of the vibrational, rotational and electron temperatures in N2 and Ar–N2 rf discharge

In order to characterize a nonequilibrium molecular plasma from the point of view of translational, vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom and their interaction, the characteristic temperatures of such a plasma were measured in an ICP rf reactor. Both pure nitrogen and argon–nitrogen mixture plasmas were examined for this purpose.The experimental results of rotational (Tr), vibrational (Tv) and electron (Te) temperatures are presented. Vibrational and rotational temperatures were measured as a function of nitrogen content for both E and H modes of ICP discharge using a power range of 45–200 W and pressure range of 2.6–13.3 Pa. Additionally, the pressure dependence of electron temperature in a pure nitrogen discharge was studied. Results show that rotational temperature is ≈370 K for E mode and ≈470 K for H mode and almost does not depend on either the applied rf power or the nitrogen content in the discharge. Vibrational temperature groups in the range 5000–12 000 K increase with applied rf power and constantly decay with an increase of nitrogen content. The measured values and behaviour of electron temperature are comparable with those for the positive column of the dc glow discharge. The results also prove that these three temperatures obey the classical inequality Te > Tv > Tr, as well as clarifying the differences in both vibrational and rotational temperature for different modes of the ICP discharge.

Tailoring of antibacterial Ag nanostructures on TiO2 nanotube layers by magnetron sputtering

To reduce the incidence of postsurgical bacterial infection that may cause implantation failure at the implant-bone interface, surface treatment of titanium implants with antibiotic materials such as silver (Ag) has been proposed. The purpose of this work was to create TiO2 nanotubes using plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), followed by formation of an antibacterial Ag nanostructure coating on the TiO2 nanotube layer using a magnetron sputtering system. PEO was performed on commercially pure Ti sheets. The Ag nanostructure was added onto the resulting TiO2 nanotube using magnetron sputtering at varying deposition rates. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the surface, and Ag content on the TiO2 nanotube layer was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Scanning probe microscopy for surface roughness and contact angle measurement were used to indirectly confirm enhanced TiO2 nanotube hydrophilicity. Antibacterial activity of Ag ions in solution was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and antibacterial testing against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). In vitro, TiO2 nanotubes coated with sputtered Ag resulted in significantly reduced S. aureus. Cell viability assays showed no toxicity for the lowest sputtering time group in the osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. These results suggest that a multinanostructured layer with a biocompatible TiO2 nanotube and antimicrobial Ag coating is a promising biomaterial that can be tailored with magnetron sputtering for optimal performance.

Velocity distribution of neutral species during magnetron sputtering by Fabry–Perot interferometry

The velocity distribution of a metallic neutral species sputtered in a dc magnetron discharge was measured using a planar Fabry–Perot interferometer and a hollow cathode lamp as a reference source. The measurement was performed under different angles of view relative to the target surface. The velocity distribution function in the direction perpendicular to the target becomes asymmetrical as the Ar pressure decreases, whereas it remains nearly symmetrical when the line of sight is parallel to the target surface. The average velocity of the sputtered Ti atoms was measured to be about 2km∕s.

Evolution of film temperature during magnetron sputtering

We report on the results of measurements of the temperature TFsurf which developed on the surface of films deposited by magnetron sputtering of chromium and copper targets on cooling and non-cooling silicon substrates. The TFsurf and substrate temperature (Ts) were simultaneously measured using high-resolution IR camera and thermocouple, respectively. We revealed that the TFsurf steeply grows, keeps constant when it achieves saturation level, and rapidly drops to the value of the Ts after stopping the deposition. At the same time, the Ts either does not change for the case of cooling substrate or increases to a certain level for noncooling substrate. However, in both cases the Ts remains several times lower than the TFsurf. The TFsurf is proportional to the flux of energy delivered to the growth surface by sputtered atoms and other fast particles, weakly depends on the depositing metal and can achieve several hundreds of °C. This phenomenon is explained by a model assuming formation of a hot thin surface ...

Effect of duty cycle on plasma parameters in the pulsed dc magnetron argon discharge

The time-resolved probe measurements of the plasma parameters and the electron energy distribution function are carried out in a unipolar pulsed dc magnetron argon discharge. The cathode target is driven by the 20kHz midfrequency unipolar dc pulses at three operating modes, such as constant voltage, constant power, and constant current with the duty cycles ranging from 10% to 90%. It is observed that as the duty cycle is reduced, the electron temperature averaged during the pulse-on period rapidly increases irrespective of the operating mode although the average electron density strongly depends on the operating mode. The comparison of the measured electron energy distribution functions shows that the electron heating during the pulse-on period becomes efficient in the pulse operation with short duty cycle, which is closely related to the deep penetration of the high-voltage sheath into the bulk during the pulse-on period.

Fabry–Perot interferometry for measurements of the velocity of sputtered atoms in a magnetron discharge

A planar Fabry?Perot interferometer was utilized to measure the velocity distribution function (vdf) of the atoms sputtered in a dc magnetron discharge. The measurements were performed during the sputtering of several metal targets under different discharge conditions such as applied power, working pressure and the distance from the magnetron target. The results demonstrate that there is a considerable shift of the vdf depending on the working pressure and the atomic weight of the sputtered atoms when the line of sight is perpendicular to the target. At the same time the velocity corresponding to the maximum of the vdf does not vary appreciably with the applied power. The typical net velocity of the sputtering atoms was found to be about 2?km?s?1, which is in good agreement with the data obtained recently by other diagnostic methods.

Laser induced fluorescence for Ti and Ti+ density characterization in a magnetron discharge

Laser induced fluorescence (LIF) was utilized for the determination of the densities of Ti atoms and ions (Ti+) in a dc magnetron discharge. The densities were measured under different discharge conditions, namely the discharge current, working pressure and distance from the magnetron target. The total density of species in the discharge was calculated using additional measurements of the broadening of the absorption lines for both Ti and Ti+. The width of the absorption lines appears to be different for the neutrals and ions. To obtain the absolute values of the density measured by LIF, absorption spectroscopy measurements were used. As a result of calibration of the LIF data by the optical absorption spectroscopy the absolute value of the density of Ti atoms was found to be ~2 × 1011 cm−3 near the magnetron target at about 6 mTorr. Similar results were obtained for Ti+ ions with a maximum value of the absolute density of ~3 × 109 cm−3.

Magnetron with gas injection through hollow cathodes machined in sputtered target

Abstract This article reports on a magnetron equipped with a target with holes. The holes machined in sputtered target can sustain hollow cathode discharges and/or inject the sputtering gas directly inside the magnetron discharge. This magnetron operates on the same principle as a gas-jet. It is shown that the size and number of holes can efficiently control I – V characteristics of the magnetron. The holes of large (≥2 mm) diameter can sustain hollow cathode discharges, which intensify the magnetron discharge. On the contrary, the holes of small (≤1 mm) diameter influences the I – V characteristics much less and allow: (i) to introduce the sputtering gas directly inside the discharge; and (ii) to compensate a gas density reduction in front of target when the magnetron is operated at high (≥100 W/cm 2 ) target power densities. Special attention is devoted to reactive sputtering. There is great difference in the deposition rate a D of films in the case when the sputtering gas is fed to the chamber or to the discharge through the holes. It is shown that for the gas feed to chamber, a D of the nitride films, sputtered from target with four holes of diameter 2 mm, is equal to that of pure metal films sputtered from a full target in argon. On the contrary, for the gas feed to discharge, a D of the oxide films, sputtered from target with four holes of diameter 2 mm, is very low, 40 times smaller compared to a D of metal films sputtered from a full target in argon. The magnetron discharge with an extremely low deposition rate is very suitable for cleaning and activation of surfaces prior to the film deposition.

Wettability effect of PECVD-SiOx films on poly(lactic acid) induced by oxygen plasma on protein adsorption and cell attachment

Surface wettability is an important property of biomaterials. Silicon oxide films have a wide range of applications due to a range of the properties such as the mechanical strength and surface wettability. This paper reports effect of the surface wettability of silicon oxide (SiOx) films on protein adsorption and cell attachment and proliferation. SiOx films were deposited onto poly(lactic acid) (PLA) substrate using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS:Si4O4C8H24) was used as a precursor with O2 as a carrier gas. After deposition, the films were treated with O2-plasma to adapt wettability. It was found that O2-plasma enhanced the wettability of the films without changing the film thickness, while made the surface morphology slightly smoother. The polar component increased after O2-plasma treatment as observed in the contact angle measurements. The surface energy of the films was calculated by means of the Owens-Wendt method to resolve the contributions of polar and dispersive components. The chemical structure was characterized using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The films were dense with a high Si-network structure. The reduced carbon content (-CHn, Si-CH3) and increased hydrogen content (-OH) of the O2-plasma treated SiOx films led to the polar components enhancing the SiOx wettability. Adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the films was investigated by using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). More BSA was adsorbed onto the O2-plasma treated SiOx films. Attachment and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 mouse pre-osteoblasts and L929 mouse fibroblasts cells on the SiOx films were evaluated via MTT assay. The cells were attached more to the untreated SiOx films but proliferated more on the surface of the O2-plasma treated SiOx films depending on the cell types.

Time evolution of electron energy distribution function and plasma parameters in pulsed and unbalanced magnetron argon discharge

The temporal behavior of the electron energy distribution function and plasma parameters in the vicinity of the substrate have been investigated in detail by performing time-resolved probe measurements in a pulsed and unbalanced magnetron argon discharge. A 20-kHz midfrequency unipolar dc pulse with an on-time average power of 160W and a duty cycle of 50% was applied to the metallic cathode target. It was found that the high-energy electrons with energies higher than the sheath potential energy are generated within a few microseconds after the dc pulse is turned on and the electron energy distribution functions during the pulse-on period show a bi-Maxwellian distribution with the high-energy electron group. In the afterglow after the dc pulse is turned off, the initial fast decay of the high-energy electrons and the subsequent diffusive slower decay of the low-energy electrons were observed. This temporal behavior of the electron energy distribution function reflected two-fold decay characteristics of ele...