Multiscale Monte Carlo simulation of circular DC magnetron sputtering: Influence of magnetron design on target erosion and film deposition

Abstract

We present an experimental and computational study of the effect of magnetron design on the target erosion profile, wafer-level deposition uniformity, and feature-scale deposition topography in a circular DC magnetron sputtering system. We have conducted a multiscale Monte Carlo simulation consisting of a particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision plasma simulation for target sputter erosion, a collisional transport simulation for film deposition, and a feature-scale deposition topography simulation. The entire simulation results for each step are verified in comparison with the experimental results for various process conditions. A new semiempirical calibration method, for converting an estimated ion current density distribution into a target erosion profile, is proposed with regard to the gas rarefaction effect due to sputtering wind. In conclusion, the whole performance indices of a circular DC magnetron sputtering system are substantially influenced by magnetron design, and the effectiveness of our multiscale Monte Carlo simulation methodology is validated.