RF SPUTTERING

Sputter deposition of insulating materials cannot be done with DC power. Materials such as oxides, nitrides, and ceramics have very large DC impedance and require prohibitively high voltages to ignite and maintain a plasma. Luckily, the impedance of these materials changes with the frequency of the applied power.

Using power delivered at radio frequencies (RF) – typically at 13.56 MHz – and an automatic impedance matching network, the total impedance of the circuit can be regulated to 50 Ω which is suitable for plasma ignition in typical sputtering environments.