Enhanced control of cathode arcing during sputter deposition of insulating films

Abstract

Cathode arcing during sputter deposition generates debris, induces coating defects, and risks damaging targets, thereby disrupting industrial processes. Advanced power supplies mitigate these challenges through pulsed power delivery and tailored arc handling; however, their combined efficacy remains underexplored. Here, we investigate two pulsed power configurations—bipolar pulsed (BP) and dynamic reverse pulsing (DRP®)—and their impact on arcing during the reactive sputtering of aluminium oxide in an industrial coater. By systematically varying arc detection and suppression parameters, we quantify arc energies across a robust dataset, revealing how these strategies synergistically minimise arc-induced disruptions. Our findings demonstrate that with optimised power delivery mode, paired with precise arc handling, leads to significant impact on arc energy which can improve process stability and coating quality. These results provide actionable insights into improving the reliability and scalability of sputter deposition, with implications for the advanced manufacturing of high-performance insulating films.