Kinetic simulations of a large-sized multifrequency CCP-based sputtering source with a PIC/MCC darwin code

Abstract

Summary form only given. A novel concept of a sputtering source based on a CCP multifrequency large-sized discharge is currently under experimental investigation [1]. The physics of such a discharge is quite complex and includes phenomena taking place on several time and spatial scales. In particular, because of the size and the high frequency harmonics in the driving voltage of such a discharge, the electromagnetic effects may play a significant role. Moreover, use of the electrical asymmetry effect (EAE) to create a self-consistent bias complicates the problem even more. In the present work we report results of our studying such a discharge with a recently developed self-consistent kinetic 2d3c PIC/MCC GPU-parallelized code which uses Darwin approximation [2] for description of the electromagnetic field components. The simulations are made in a geometry close to that of the sputtering source used in the experiments. We discuss interesting features of the discharges arising in the main and the side chambers and compare the simulation results and the experimental data.