INFLUENCE OF GAS PRESSURE ON THE GROWTH OF CLUSTERS IN MAGNETRON DISCHARGE

Based on the hybrid model, a magnetron discharge in a cylindrical chamber filled with argon was modeled. The obtained results were used to study the influence of gas pressure on the sputtering of the copper cathode, the diffusion of copper atoms in the discharge chamber, and the process of cluster formation. It is shown that the number of copper atoms in the discharge chamber, which is determined by their flow from the cathode, diffusion, and the processes of cluster formation and growth, depends non-monotonically on the gas pressure and reaches a maximum value at p ~ 1.75 Torr. The simulation results also show that the total number of dimers and clusters in the chamber increases with increasing gas pressure at p < 1.75 Torr. However, with a further increase in pressure, the number of dimers remains nearly unchanged, while the number of clusters consisting of three or more copper atoms decreases.