High-rate reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering of hard and optically transparent HfO2 films

摘要: Abstract High-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) with a pulsed reactive gas (oxygen) flow control was used for high-rate depositions of densified, highly optically transparent, stoichiometric HfO 2 films onto floating substrates. The were performed using strongly unbalanced directly water-cooled planar Hf target 100 mm diameter in argon–oxygen mixtures at the argon pressure 2 Pa. repetition frequency 500 Hz deposition-averaged power density from 29 W cm − 2 to 54 W cm . voltage pulse durations ranged 50 μs 200 μs. target-to-substrate distance and substrate temperatures less than 165 °C. We showed that can be prepared very high deposition rates (up 200 nm/min) approximately 30 W cm , which is relatively close applicable industrial HiPIMS systems. nanocrystalline dominant monoclinic phase. They exhibited hardness 15–18 GPa, refractive index 2.07–2.12 an extinction coefficient between ≤ 0.1 × 10 − 3 0.6 × 10 (both quantities wavelength 550 nm). At 300 nm, 1.5 × 10 7.0 × 10 A simplified relation rate presented.