Prediction of targets erosion in magnetron sputtering systems

The method of prediction of targets erosion in magnetron sputtering systems is suggested. The method based on the evaluation of the effective ionization zone for the working gas atoms, approximate concentration of the charged particles, and an assumption that the concentration of ionizing events at each point of the plasma volume is proportional to the horizontal component of magnetic field intensity to the magnetic field intensity square. For the practical implementation of the suggested model the software tool TargProf has been developed capable of calculating the magnetic field configuration with the aid of the ELCUT package, generating output data matrices, and analyzing the results obtained. The TargProf enables to predict the profile of the erosion zone on a target at the stage of the magnetron system design with the error not exceeding 15–20% (depending on the magnetron configuration).