Temperature modes of a target operating in a DC gasless (vacuum) magnetron

The results of an experimental study of the temperature of the target of a sputter-deposition magnetron system and a computer simulation of its behavior are presented. The magnetron system has a planar geometry and functions under vacuum (without gas fill) at a residual pressure of down to 3 ∙ 10⁻⁵ Тоrr. The study is performed for different magnetron target thicknesses, shapes, operating parameters, and materials. It is shown that under all of the operating modes the target temperature in the racetrack zone (high-intensity sputtering) remains to be lower than 230 °C, which allows ruling out the effect of thermal evaporation and sublimation on the processes of magnetron discharge functioning under vacuum. Using computer simulation, possible methods and approaches to decrease the target temperature are determined.