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The spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy of various species of a pulse DC unbalanced magnetron sputtering is studied. Ar–N2 gas mixtures are used. Emission lines corresponding to titanium cathode and gas discharge species are considered. In this study, the two-dimensional (2-D) emission profiles of the lines are measured by an ICCD camera during TiN coatings. It turns out that the 2-D emission profiles of the various lines behave differently. As a result, we obtained the surface roughness value of RMS 2.3 nm at higher pulse frequency and 3.8 nm at lower pulse duty cycle.

Commercial polymers in thin film form were used for modification by atmospheric RF plasma. The influence of the plasma treatments using Ar and Ar+O 2 on surface energy, morphology and chemical structure of the films was investigated. It was revealed that both modifications caused surface activation of the polymer film, but they obeyed different mechanisms enhancing polymer wettability. First, surface graphitization due to argon sputtering caused hydrogen to free the surface and then reacts with oxygen in the air. Second, surface oxidation is connected with the functional group formation. The reactions of Ti with the polymer led to the simultaneous formation of TiCl 2 , TiC, Ti-oxide and they contributed to film adhesion. In comparison with Ar, the mixed Ar+O 2 RF plasma treatment was a more timesaving process and had more influences on surface activation and film adhesion.

This paper presents a modification to conventional magnetron sputtering systems. The introduction of a grid in front of the target increases metal ion ratio in the plasma. By using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and observing both Ti neutral and Ti ion, the relative ionization could be qualitatively extended to grid-attached magnetron sputtering as compared with conventional magnetron systems. Experiments clearly demonstrate microstructural cross-sectional TEM analysis of the titanium oxide film changes from a columnar-like (anisostropic) structure to a homogenous structure (isotropic), and resulting in a high refractive index. It is believed that more energetic ion bombardment induced the structural changes in films in the case of grid-assisted magnetron sputtering.