Speaker
Description
Ionized Physical Vapour Deposition (iPVD) is a key plasma-based technology used across several sectors, from semiconductor manufacturing to protective coatings and energy applications [1]. Among iPVD methods, High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) is particularly attractive due to the peculiar plasma conditions it generates, enabling dense, adherent and finely structured coatings [2]. Its ability to produce a highly ionized metal flux, achieved with minimal hardware changes compared to conventional DC Magnetron Sputtering (DCMS), makes HiPIMS a powerful but inherently complex plasma system, where many transient physical mechanisms are still not fully understood.
In this context, plasma modelling is an essential tool to interpret experiments, disentangle coupled physical processes and support process optimisation [2]. Analytical and numerical models allow access to quantities that are challenging or impossible to measure experimentally, such as species densities, fluxes and reaction rates. In low-temperature plasma environments, where diagnostics are often limited by resolution, perturbation effects or temporal constraints, simulations provide unique insight and help reduce the number of experimental trials needed during design and optimisation [3].
This work aims to deepen the understanding of non-reactive and reactive HiPIMS plasma discharges for tungsten deposition. The discharge behaviour was investigated using the Ionization Region Model (IRM), a volume-averaged global plasma model developed for HiPIMS [2,4]. The model was extended to include reactive processes involving nitrogen, enabling the study of plasma-assisted tungsten nitride formation under reactive conditions [5]. For all discharge types, the IRM was applied to track the temporal evolution of key plasma parameters (e.g., species concentrations, ionization degree and electron energy) while quantifying internal mechanisms including ionization dynamics, metal-ion back-attraction and working-gas rarefaction. The results highlight how nitrogen addition reshapes discharge chemistry, energy transfer and global plasma behaviour, ultimately influencing deposition dynamics. This approach enhances the predictive capability of HiPIMS modelling and provides valuable insights for optimising process parameters in the deposition of tungsten-based metallic and compound coatings.
[1] Helmersson U. et al., Thin Solid Films 513, 2006
[2] Lundin D. et al., “High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering: Fundamentals, Technologies, Challenges and Applications”, Elsevier, 2020.
[3] Gudmundsson J. T., Plasma Sources Science and Technology 29, 2020
[4] Vavassori D. et al, Surface and Coatings Technology 458, 2023
[5] Bana L. et al., Surface and Coatings Technology 514, 2025
