[17a-Z21-1~6] 11.2 Thin and thick superconducting films, coated conductors and film crystal growth

▲ [17a-Z21-5] Modeling of Current-Voltage Characteristics of DC Reactive Sputtering and Its Application to Superconducting NbTiN Thin Film Deposition

〇Wenlei Shan¹, Shohei Ezaki¹, Akihira Miyachi¹, Tomonori Tamura¹ (1.NAOJ)

Keywords:Reactive plasma discharge, NbTiN thin film, Simulation

A technique of numerical modelling of IVCs of reactive magnetron plasma discharge has been developed. The method is devised based on well-accepted equilibrium equations that describe the steady state of reactive plasma sputtering process. This technique allows an analytical expression of IVCs with a pair of parametric equations, which is convenient in computation. This approach is self-complete as unknown material-dependent parameters can be determined by curve-fitting of measured IVCs. By using this IVC model, the dependence of plasma discharge parameters on discharge current, voltage and other control parameters can be systematically studied, and the simulation results provide clear guidelines in optimization of the plasma process for desired film quality and insightful understanding of experimental phenomena. The plausibility of this method and the physical insights it reveals are demonstrated by applying it to a realistic case of superconducting NbTiN film deposition.