Gepulste Hochleistungs-Magnetron-Plasmen (HPPMS).

Control of High Power Pulsed Magnetron Plasmas (HPPMS) by Monitoring Current-Voltage Characteristics High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering (HPPMS) plasmas are perfectly suited for the synthesis of ceramic coatings with superior properties. This excellent performance is induced by the very peculiar energetic particle flux reaching the substrate to be coated. The ion energy distribution originates from the formation of localized ionization zones which can be imaged by fast cameras. In commercial HPPMS reactors, however, only much simpler methods such as current voltage characteristics (VI curves) are accessible. By a proper interpretation of those VI curves, it is possible to identify the favorable operation mode of an HPPMS plasma. The VI curves vary with target material, but they are sensitive to the occurrence of localized ionization zones, which represent the optimum for the operation parameter window of HPPMS plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]