Optical emission spectroscopy of high density metal plasma during magnetron sputtering

Summary form only given. The ability to sputter deposit in the self-sustained mode without an inert gas indicates that a high ionization efficiency of the neutral target species has been achieved and that a purely metal ion plasma can be formed using magnetron source. In this paper, the mechanisms responsible for such effective ionization of copper sputtered from the target are investigated using optical emission spectroscopy. Light emission spectra were taken for various conditions of magnetron operation to understand the transition from standard to self-sputtering mode. We offer explanations on the factors which may be responsible for effective self-sputtering and ionization of.