Magnetic Field Effects on an Abnormal Truncated Glow Discharge and Their Relation to Sputtered Thin-Film Growth

Abstract

Superposition of a radially symmetric magnetic quadrupole field onto an abnormal glow discharge operating at E/P of 105 produces an additional ionization region in the negative glow which is not observed in the absence of a magnetic field and which increases the ion current density at the cathode by more than an order of magnitude. Preliminary Langmuir probemeasurements show the electric field gradient in this region to be small and an average electron energy of only 0.8 eV. Data are given to show how sputtering ratio measurements in such a system can be correlated to secondary electron emission at the cathode and charge transfer in the Crooks dark space. Ion current density profile measurements across the cathode as well as corresponding cathodeerosion and anode deposition profiles are given.