Investigation of Ion Beam properties and Coating Material during

IBS
M. Jupé1, 2, S. Malobabic1, 2, C. Schmitz1, C. Gouldieff†, H. Steffen*, R. Wiese* and D. Ristau1, 2
1
Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Department of Laser Components, Hannover, Germany
2
Quest: Centre for Quantum Engineering and Space-Time Research, Hannover, Germany
* Leibniz-Institute for Plasma Science and Technology e.V., Greifswald, Germany
†
Institut Fresnel, Marseille, France

Abstract
Ion beam sputtering (IBS) is a well-established process to manufacture lowest loss coatings of highest
complexity of spectral behavior. Nevertheless, the losses due to absorption in the bulk materials are still orders
of magnitude lower than in the corresponding coatings, indicating that a further optimization of the process is
possible. Such an improvement in quality requires a more detailed knowledge of the correlation between the
process parameters and the coating quality.
The present paper reports on a preliminary study based on a parameterization strategy for IBS processes. The
propagation properties of the ion beam were investigated in detail, where both, the total dissipation of energy and
the argon ion velocity distribution of the beam were measured and analyzed. Furthermore, research was
concentrated on the sputtered material considering the dependence of the optical losses of the deposited
dielectric layers on the physical properties of the adatoms. The energy distribution and the charge state of the
material particles were investigated with respect to the implementation of a phase separating IBS process.

1. Introduction
In the development of modern dielectric optical components, a growing specialisation can be observed. With
respect to the field of application, the coating material, the coating process and process parameters are optimized.
As a consequence of this development, some research groups are focussing their activities on the optimization of
one special parameter. The most prominent example is the optimization of the damage threshold for high power
lasers. Few other groups are working on the minimization of optical losses. In the past, the requirement of lowest
loss optics was mainly driven by special applications in high precision laser measurement technology or high
power laser systems. In this context, the development of mirrors with extremely small backscatter values for
laser gyros and the reduction of absorption losses in cavity mirrors for gravitational wave detectors are
prominent examples. During the last decades, the process of optimization of low loss components is further
intensified by the development in the optical sensor technology [1].
Within the scope of the cluster of excellence “QUEST” the Einstein-Telescopes and the optical clocks require a
new generation of optical components with respect to the optical losses. Nowadays, Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS)
is an attractive and convenient deposition process that can achieve highest-quality standards in optical thin films
close to these requirements. The IBS-technology allows the production of coatings with unsurpassed properties
in terms of scatter and absorption losses. According to the current state of the art, dielectric mirrors with losses in
the range of below one ppm are available for the NIR-spectral range around 1 µm, but an improvement of one
order of magnitude would be desirable. In scientific and commercial applications the IBS-technology is very
well engineered and optimized. Consequently, a further improvement of the coating quality seems to be only
achievable by a fundamental change of the coating process. A promising approach can be the realisation of a
separator for the adatoms. The main aim of the separator concepts is a drastic reduction of the concentration of
so called macroparticles. The presence of macroparticles during the coating process leads to defects, causes
topographical problems and can lead to inhomogeneous inclusions and rough films. Separator technologies are
established for arc-deposition techniques in combination with magnetic or electrical atom and particle filters [2-
6]. Usually, arc-deposition techniques are designed for metallic coating. An application for dielectric materials is
rather not commented.

Advances in Optical Thin Films IV, edited by Michel Lequime, H. Angus Macleod, Detlev Ristau,
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 8168, 816825 · © 2011 SPIE · CCC code: 0277-786X/11/$18
doi: 10.1117/12.905363

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 A main task of the current work is a combination of the IBS technology with an electro-magnetic filter system,
in order to approach the increasing demands of quality. For the design of a filter system, the properties of the
sputtered materials have to be known precisely. Consequently, basic knowledge on the sputtered particles has to
be acquired as a major prerequisite for the design of the separator. The kinetic energy, the charge and the lateral
distribution of the sputter material have to be measured in detail.
This paper presents measurements of the material properties before the background of the separator design. In
the beginning, an overview of the measurement equipment is given in terms of the procedures. Following, the
properties of the plasma beam of the sputter source are investigated, and the properties of the plasma over the
target are determined, respectively.

Methods of Characterization
The understanding of the adatom fluxes requires a detailed and precise characterization of the plasma beam to
obtain a more complex insight into the coating process. Applying a combination of high-precision
characterization tools, a consistent survey on the plasma properties at the sampling position can be derived. In
the following, several different measurement systems for the analysis of plasma are shortly discussed. A
Langmuir probe [7], a Retarding Field Analyser (RFA) and thermo probes were used to identify and extract
properties of correlated structures associated with the propagation of the plasma, which is emitted from the target
during the sputter process.

Langmuir probe Retarding Field Analyser Thermo probe (passive)

Set-up

Resulting measurement categories

- plasma density -ion density -energy flux density
-floating potential -energy distribution -ion flux density
-e-temperature
-energy-distribution
function [8]
Figure 1: Set-ups of plasma analysing tools

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 Measurements procedures of plasma analysis

Langmuir probe
A relatively uncomplicated probe concept was suggested by Langmuir [9], originally, and optimized by
Laframboise [10] and Allen et al. [11]. This so-called Langmuir probe measures the current into a metallic test
area depending on the applied voltage in correlation to the potential and carrier distribution inside the plasma.
The schematic drawing of the Langmuir probe is displayed in Figure 1. From the voltage versus current curve
characteristic parameters like the electron temperature, the floating potential and the ion density can be extracted
(See Figure 2.).

40,0µ In the applied set-up, the voltage at the effective

Floating potential area of 6.15 x 10-² cm² can be varied from -1100 V
1,0x10
-6 UF=-12V
to 1100 V. For the presented investigations the so
0,0 Ion density called ionic range of the measurements of the
Current [A]

20,0µ
C u rre n t [A ]

ρIon=-7,35E-7/(eA)
2
Langmuir probe are mainly of interest. This range is
-6
-1,0x10 = 7,46E13 Ion/cm
defined by a retarding of the electrons with a
-6
-2,0x10
-20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 negative potential at the effective surface of the
0,0 Bias Voltage [V]
probe [12]. If the voltage at the surface is low
enough, the electrons are blocked, completely, and
the current is solely induced by the ions. A
-20,0µ
Cha11005 decreasing voltage causes an increasing influencing
-1000 -800 -600 -400 -200 0 200 sphere of the electric field and consequently a
Bias Voltage [V] decreasing current. The ion flux density without an
external voltage can be determined by the
Figure 2: Langmuir probe measurement extrapolation of the linear section of the curve until
it intersects with the vertical axis [13].

The ion density flux ρIon [ion/(cm2s)] is defined by:

I 0 (U = 0)
ρ Ion = (1)
eA
Herein, A is the effective area of the probe, I0 (U=0) the intercept point of the linear fit, and e the elementary
electric charge, respectively.
Additionally, the current versus voltage curve indicates the floating potential. It is defined as the potential which
is measured from the metallic body without an external field. In this case, the current induced at the Langmuir
probe is exactly zero. The Langmuir probe can be a powerful instrument and versatile tool in plasma diagnostics
[14].

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 Retarding Field Analyser (RFA)
UBias[U]
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Equivalent to the Langmuir probe, the RFA
400n
current I 125n measurement is based on a current versus voltage
200n
characteristic curve, but the RFA measures the
100n
0 energy dispersive distribution of ions. The electrons

δI/δUBias [Ω ]
-1
75n are blocked by a negative potential on the
-200n
Current [A]

-400n
50n suppressor grid (see Figure 1). In the used set-up,
25n
the ions are slowed down by a variable positive
-600n
retarding field on the collector [15]. The ion current
0
-800n is decreasing with an increasing retarding field, and
δI/δUBias
-1µ
Cha11007
-25n the first derivate of the current-voltage-curve
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 displays the energy dispersive ion distribution g(E):
UBias[V]

Figure 3: Measurement of RFA Where n is the order of charge, e is the elementary

dI n ⋅ e
= g(E) (2)
dE m

charge, and m is the mass of the ion. Usually, with respect to theoretic approximations, n is set to one.
The ion current Icup (Uret) is directly linked to the velocity distribution of ions g(v) according to:

mv 2 dI ev 2
E= = g (v) (3)
2 dU ret 2U ret

Where v is the velocity of the particle, and Uret is the retarding field. Figure 3 shows a typical example for an
energy dispersive distribution of a RFA measurement.

Parameter Calculation Note

Energy dispersive dI (U )
ion distribution
dU ret

Ion density Because of typically unknown transmission of the grid

I cup ∝ e ∫ vg(v)dv
system of the RFA, the ion density is a relative measurement
parameter in this paper. The transmission of the grids can be
e determined by the correlation of Icup with the Langmuir
m∫
= g (ν )dE probe measurements.

Balance point of the dI (U ) For the interpretation of the measurement result, the
ion distribution ∫ dU dU maximum of the energy dispersive ion distribution is an
U BP = ret
important parameter. In many cases, there are complex
∂I max
structures and the maximum is not determined. In such
∂U ret
cases, the balance point of the curve can be used.

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 ∂I max
With
∂U
ret , the

maximum of the
energy dispersive ion

Parameters of RFA measurement

Thermo probe
The Langmuir probe, as well as the RFA measures only the ions of the plasma. The part of the neutral adatoms
does not contribute to the measurement signals. The thermal probe allows a direct access to the neutral and the
charged part of the plasma by the determination of the heat transferred to a thermal mass of the test sample by
the impinging species. Particularly, the induced temperature rise is a result of the collision of ions, as well as
adatoms or other particles on the probe, but furthermore additional thermal radiation sources can influence the
measurement [16]. Consequently, the sensor has to be isolated from unwanted heat sources. In the presented
investigations two different types of thermo probes are applied. The active thermo probe was mainly used for the
beam characterization of the sputter source. For this type of sensor the temperature of the probe is stabilized by
an electrical heater, which is coated onto the backside of the thermo probe. The power of the heater controlled to
stabilize the probe at a nominal temperature. As a consequence, the impact energy can be directly derived from
the difference of the initial heat power to the resulting heat power including the external sources. The resolution
of the probe is about several tenths of mW/cm2, and therefore, the thermo probe is well appropriate for powerful
sources. For the measurement of low power sources, the passive thermal probe is recommended. A schematic
drawing of the set-up is displayed in Figure 1. The temperature of the test sample is measured by thermistors
(NTC- Negative Temperature Coefficient), which are calibrated by a standard PT100 resistor. The calibration of
the NTCs is displayed in Figure 4. The temperature - resistance curve of the NTC is not linear, but can be
approximated linearly for the temperature range of the coating process, which is also applied for the passive
thermo probe measurements.

4,0
Calibration of passive thermo probe
3,5

3,0

2,5
Sensitivity
2,0
S=15,46 K/V
U [V]

R=99,93 %
1,5

1,0

0,5
measurement values
test sample temperature
0,0 during coating process
cha11006

20 30 40 50 60
temperature [°C]

Figure 4: Calibration of passive thermo probe Figure 5: Example of passive thermo probe
measurement

The resolution of the detector is in the order of few 10-2 K, which corresponds to a heat power of below
0.01 mW/cm2. In the application, the signal is influenced by external noise sources, and consequently, a

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 resolution of around 0.1 mW/cm2 is realistic for this application. The measurement of the passive thermo probe
is divided in three phases. During the first time period, the drift of temperature is monitored. In the second step,
the probe is irradiated by the plasma beam by opening the shutter. Subsequently, there is the cooling phase,
where the shutter remains closed and the temperature of thermal sensor relaxes to start level. The metering and
evaluation of the signal is automated.
The ionic part of the plasma can be separated by applying and varying a negative voltage on the metallic thermo
probe. Due to the negative potential, the ions are accelerated towards the test sample, and an additional energy
impact is generated.

Wtot = WNeutral + WIon (4)

Wtot = N Neutal E kin

Neutral
+ N Ion E kin
Ion
+ N Ion ECoulomb
Ion
= N Neutal E kin
Neutral
+ N Ion E kin
Ion
+ N Ion ρU Bias (5)

∂Wtot 1 ∂Wtot
= N Ion ρ ⇒ N Ion = (6)
∂U Bias ρ ∂U Bias

Wtot, WNeutal, and WIon are the total power impact, the impact of neutral adatoms and the impact of ions,
Ion , Neutral
E kin E Ion
represents the kinetic energy, and NNeutal, Ion is the adatom density, respectively. Colomb is the
coulomb potential with the voltage Ubias and the charge ρ. In particular, the slope of the impact power as a
function of the bias voltage is proportional to the density of ions. The main problem of this method is the
electrical isolation of the test sample by the dielectric coating. Therefore, in the case of dielectric coatings the
error budget of the measurement is difficult to estimate.

Characterization of the Ion Source

First, plasma analysis was employed for the ion source characterization. In this issue, the active thermo probe
from Leibniz-Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) and the RFA were applied for the
determination of both, energy density distributions and the three dimensional ion beam distribution. In the
experiments involving the active thermo probe the sensor was moved on a circular pass through the beam. The
radius of the mounting is large compared to the diameter (r=380 mm) of the ion beam (r=80 mm). The distance
to the source can be arbitrarily set.

y A schematic drawing of the set-up is displayed in Figure 6. In the

experiments, the properties of the ion source were investigated. Figure 7
a
r
and Figure 8 show the impact power density depending on the beam current
ϕ x
and beam voltage, respectively. The curve displays the irradiated power
front density measured at the center of the ion beam and at a distance of the 8 cm
shild
beam from the center (φ=12°). The implemented power density on the probe is
grid assumed to be linearly dependent on the beam current and the beam
voltage. Figure 7 illustrates how the power density linearly increases with
Figure 6: schematic drawing of the current. In contrast to the behavior of the power density as a function of
the thermo probe measurement in
the beam current, the dependence of power density on the beam voltage is
front of the ion source.
nonlinear at the center of the beam. The reason for the behavior is not clear

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 at the moment, but also for the variation of the acceleration voltage a linear increase of the power density is
expected.
1,2
1,25 1. measurement in the center of beam
1. measurement in the center of beam
2. measurement in the center of beam 2. measurement in the center of beam
1,1 3. measurement at edge position 3. measurement at edge position

1,00

Power density [W/cm ]

Power density [W/cm ]

2
2

1,0

0,75
0,9
0,3
0,50

0,2
0,25

beam voltage 600V Beam current: 250mA

0,1 0,00
240 250 260 270 280 290 300 310 320 330 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Beam current [mA] Beam Voltage [V]
Figure 7: Impact power density vs. beam current. Figure 8: Impact power density vs. beam voltage.

1,8 Distance from the front shield of the Ion source 22,5 cm 1,4 Source parameter Distance from | total Power
Measurement of Veeco three focus grid (500V, 200mA) VBeam: 500V
1,6 Measurement of Veeco "low contamination" grid (600V, 250 mA) IBeam: 200mA
the front shield|
1,2 12.5 cm | (133.2 W)
1,4 22.5 cm | (127.5 W)
Power density [W/cm²]

Power density [W/cm ]

2

1,0 38 cm | (104.3 W)
1,2

1,0 0,8

0,8
0,6
0,6
0,4
0,4
0,2
0,2

0,0 0,0
-200 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 -200 -100 0 100 200
Distance from the beam center [mm] Distance from the centre of the beam [mm]

Figure 9: Power density profiles of the ion source with Figure 10: Power density profiles of the ion source with
the low contamination grid and the one with the three the low contamination grid in three different distances
focus grid. from the ion source.

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 An important parameter is the lateral beam
Veeco
profile. In Figure 9 and Figure 10 two grids
16cm - high power
are compared. The first grid is a low
contamination grid which is optimized for
RFA low sputter erosion. The second grid is a three
focus grid which is optimized for a more
efficient use of the sputter target. The
Translation differences of the grid designs can be clearly
(x,y,z) observed in the power density distribution in
Figure 9. Figure 10 shows the development of
Cha11008
the power density along the beam propagation
Figure 11: Set-up RFA measurement in front of the plasma using the low contamination grid. The total
source power of the beam was calculated on the
basis of this measurement. With respect to the
used ion source parameters of 500 V and 200 mA, the theoretical value for the power is 100 W, which was also
approximately measured during the experiment. As expected, the power of the beam is decreasing with
increasing distance from the ion source, but the decrease of the power appears to be non-linear. Additionally, the
minimum of the FWHM has been observed for a distance of 225 mm in front of the front shield of the ion
source.

Distance of probe source:

1,0 Thermo probe= 225mm
RFA =226mm
Thermo probe, m1
0,8 Thermo probe, m2
RFA system
normalized profile

0,6

0,4

0,2

0,0 cha11007

-200 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200

y - position [mm]
Figure 12: Beam profile measured by RFA, as well as Figure 13: Beam profiles measured by RFA of three
active thermo probe in the same plane in front of the different grids of the ion source
ion source

Additional information of the plasma beam can be gained by the RFA- measurements. Herein, an RFA is
mounted on the target translator in combination with a wire pull system. The set-up is displayed in Figure 11. As
mentioned, the RFA measures solely the ions of the plasma, and the applied RFA measures a relative ion
density. The comparison of the ion distribution with the power density distribution in approximately the same
measuring plane is shown in Figure 12, whereas both profiles are normalized to one. The form of the profile is
equivalent within the measurement accuracy. Consequently, the ion distribution and the plasma follow the same
behavior. In detail, in the dimension of the coating plant a larger divergence of the charged particle is not
observed. However, in Figure 13 the beam profiles of the plasma beams of the high power source applying three

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 different grids is displayed. The plots are normalized on the highest observer intensity of a grid, respectively.
Each grid leads to a characteristic beam propagation. The three focus grid generates the largest profile, and the
beam is divergent. The effective beam width increases from 140 mm at z=200 mm (z-distance from the front
shield of the source) to 180 mm at z=550 mm, nearly linearly. The beam propagation of the “low contamination”
grid is comparable, but the width increases from 110 mm to 150 mm on the same propagation distance. The third
grid is a specially designed oval grid for small target geometries. This grid has approximately constant beam
radius of 50 mm for the fast axis and 70 mm for the slow axis.
These experiments show a possibility for a detailed plasma beam analysis. In the future, the experiments can be
helpful for an optimized design of the geometry of the process components. For an electromagnetic separation
system, the measurement gives an idea about the dimension of the necessary entrance aperture. The choice of the
respective grid can simplify the construction of the separation system.

Plasma properties of the sputtered material

In previous experiments the plasma beam of the ion source was investigated. In this section, the coating material
itself is in focus of the experimental interest. Especially, the change of the material and the energy distribution
are analyzed by the RFA, thermo probe and Langmuir probe measurements. In the beginning of the discussion
the RFA measurements are presented.

100n Voltage variation of the ion source Oxygen variation

140n
90n SiO2 0sccm oxygen
TiO2
80n 1500V 120n 5sccm oxygen
1500V
900V 10sccm oxygen
70n 900V
400V 100n 20sccm oxygen
400V
60n 25sccm oxygen
Current [A]

Current [A]

80n 30sccm oxygen

50n
40n 60n
30n
40n
20n
10n 20n
0
Cha11010
0 cha11011

-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
UBias [V] Bias [V]
Figure 14: RFA – measurement of the plasma of a Figure 15: RFA – measurement of the plasma of a
titanium target and in front of a silicon target for silicon target for different reactive gas fluxes.
different beam voltages.

In the first step, the influence of the material is discussed. In Figure 14, the energy dispersive distributions of
titania and silica are compared. The ions emitted by the titanium and the silicon target have characteristic
distributions. The energy dispersive distribution of ions from the titan target has a maximum at around 7 eV, but
the maximum of the distribution of the ions from the silicon target are located around 17 eV. Figure 15 displays
for the example of titanium that the energy distribution is changing with the concentration of the reactive gas.
For the present example of titanium and titania, the maximum of the distribution is shifting from 17 eV without
oxygen to 7 eV for titania. The properties of the material are mainly influence by processes on the surface.
Currently, these processes are not understood in detail, but for the dimensioning of the electromagnetic field of
the separator the measurement is essential. In particular, the kinetic energy of the adatoms has to be measured for
the construction of magnetic coils [3, 4].
An additional factor is the ionization state of the plasma and the ion density in the plasma, because the maximum
efficiency of a separator is dependent on the ion density in the plasma. Both, the ion density and the development
of the ion density as a function of the distance from the target are important parameters of the plasma process. As

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 mentioned, the ion density can be determined by the linear extrapolation of the ionic range of the Langmuir
probe measurement to zero voltage. In this context, the compact design of the Langmuir probe allows to measure
very close to the target. The resulting development of the ion density flux is plotted for silica as well for titania
in Figure 16. From a distance of 6 cm to 20 cm from the target, the ion density flux decreases from 4x1014
ions/(cm2s) to 2x1014 ions/(cm2s). The Langmuir probe is covered by an aluminum foil and a housing of Teflon.
In this configuration, the detector is protected against the ions of the sputter source, but it is assumed that the
plasma is still influenced by the argon ions from the sputter source. Nevertheless, the ion flux density should be
mainly reasoned by the distribution of the sputtered particles. This supports a sufficient working distance for the
coupling aperture of the focusing magnets. The influence of the sputter source parameter is displayed in Figure
17 for the beam voltage on the ion density flux, whereas a distance of 19cm to the target was used. In this
experiment a growth of the ion density flux with an increasing beam voltage up to a saturation level is observed.
This behavior is corresponding to the sputter rate. The comparison of the absolute level of the ion density fluxes
in Figure 16 and Figure 17 reveals a general problem affecting the measurement of dielectric coating materials.
The measurements of Figure 16 are performed applying a Langmuir probe with a freshly polished surface, but
the Langmuir probe of measurements in Figure 17 was coated for approximately two hours. The dielectric
coating on the sensor area leads to a decrease of the signal level. This effect gains of importance for the
experiments with the passive thermo probe. The measurements of dielectric materials by a Langmuir probe leads
to a systematic error, which is difficult to approximate. This effect is also material dependent, but silica seems to
be the most critical material

14 Cha11012
14
5,0x10 1,6x10
TiO2
14
14
4,5x10 SiO2 1,4x10
Ion flux density [1/(cm²s)]

Ion flux density [1/cm s]

14 14
1,2x10
2

4,0x10
14 14
3,5x10 1,0x10
14 13
3,0x10 8,0x10
14
2,5x10 6,0x10
13

14
2,0x10 4,0x10
13

14
1,5x10 13 Distance 190mm
2,0x10
14 TiO2
1,0x10 cha11012 0,0 SiO2
60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Distance from the target [mm] 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Beam Voltage [V]

Figure 16: Ion density distribution depending on the Figure 17: Ion density distribution, dependence on the
distance to the target measured by Langmuir probe. beam voltage measured by Langmuir probe
(Distance to the target 19cm).

However, all results of the Langmuir probe measurements indicate a significant ion flux density from the target.
In the following, the power density and the charge of the adatoms are investigated by the passive thermo probe
measurements. In these experiments, two different configurations were used. In the first series, the
measurements were performed using a metallic titanium target. The distance to the target was 17 cm and the
thermo probe was placed exactly in the center of the sputter distribution. An additional shutter was mounted on
the thermo probe. In the second case, the thermo probe was placed in the position of the substrates typical for the
coating process. In this case, the thermo probe was placed in a distance of 19 cm from the target and shifted
10 cm in the direction of the sputter source. For the second measurement series, the substrate shutter of the
coating plant was used for the interruption of the material flux from the target. It has to be noted that the
quantitative values of the both series are not completely comparable. In both series, a negative bias voltage was
applied to the metallic probe body accelerating the positive ions onto the probe surface. Figure 18 depicts the

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 5 2,5

Power impact [mW/(cm²)]

Power impact [mW/(cm²)]

4 2,0

3 1,5

2 1,0
metalic titanium
TiO2 measurement a Ta2O5
0,5
1 SiO2 Measurement 1
TiO2 measurement b
SiO2 Measurement 2
SiO2 measurement c cha11013
cha11013 0,0
0
0 10 20 30 40
-10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
UBias [V]
UBias [V]

Figure 18: Result of passive thermo probe Figure 19: Result of passive thermo probe
measurements of the first measurement series measurements of the second measurement series
resulting power density impact depending on the bias voltage for metallic titanium, dielectric titania, and silica,
respectively. The resulting power impact densities are in the range of a few mW/cm2, and, as expected, all curves
show a small positive slope. The highest power density impact is observed for titania, which was manufactured
in a reactive process with oxygen from a metal target. In contrast, the metallic process reveals the lowest power
density flux. The coating rate in the center of the sputter distribution was 0.240 nm/s for titanium and 0.127 nm/s
for titania in the experiments with a static calotte. Consequently, the rate is not the main cause of the different
power impacts. The reason for this effect has to be investigated in further experiments. Possibly, the oxidation on
the sample surface increases the power impact, but also the change of the spherical sputter distribution can
influence the result. However, in comparison to titania the coating with silicon involves half of the power.

Cha11015
In the second experimental series tantala and silica
Titan metalic
14
1,4x10 are compared in Figure 19. In this case the coatings
TiO2
Ion flux density [1/cm s]

SiO2
14
where performed using a rotating calotte. The
2

1,2x10
Ta2O5
1,0x10
14 coating rates of the materials are 0.069nm/s and
13
0.061nm/s for tantala and silica, respectively. The
8,0x10
power impact density is reduced by a factor of two,
13
6,0x10 which is attributed to the changed position of the
4,0x10
13
thermo probe. The power impact for tantala is a
13 factor of two larger than the power impact of silica.
2,0x10
The experiment confirms a significant influence of
0,0
the material and the geometric position.
Figure 20: Ion density flux calculated on the basis of the For a particle control by electro-magnetic forces, the
passive thermo probe measurements. content of ions has to be determined from the slope
of the curves. Obviously, a significant noise level is
observed for the measurement. In addition, the slope of the curve depends on the thickness of the coating. For
thick coatings no significant dependency on the power impact density on the bias voltage can be observed. The
measurement 2 of silica in Figure 19 demonstrates this effect. In these cases, coverage by a dielectric layer is
assumed. The ion densities with freshly polished test sample are displayed in Figure 20, and the highest ion

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 densities are observed for titania and titanium1. The experiments for silica and tanatala show an ion density flux
which is one order of magnitude lower than the respectively value for titania. The ion density flux for titania
does correspond to the results of the Langmuir probe measurement, but for silica a significant difference has
being observed, and further investigations need to clarify the problem of the ion density. The addition of a
magnetic field in the analysis procedure should provide a deeper insight.

Conclusion

The presented studies were motivated by fundamental exploration of the properties of the sputtered particles,
with respect to the realization of an efficient magnetic filter system. For the realization of a filter system, the
nature of the plasma has to be understood in detail.
The first investigation was focused on the determination of the beam profile of the sputter source scaling the
dimension of the ion pipe. Herein, the plasma beam of a sputter source - applying three different grids was
investigated. For each grid, a three dimensional distribution of the ion of the plasma was measured by RFA
mappings, and a characteristic beam propagation was observed for each configuration. Two of the grids lead to a
continuous divergent beam. The beam diameters on the target were measured to range between 8 and 30 cm, and
the diameter depends on the applied grid system. Consequently, the entrance aperture of the separator system has
to be constructed in the respective dimension. The measurements of the beam diameter of the sputter source
were also correlated to scans using an active thermo probe in front of the sputter source. The lateral profiles were
in agreement for RFA and for the thermo probe measurements. Additionally, the power impact of the plasma
beam was measured and calculated in three different distances in front of the ion source, and the results of the
thermo probe investigations indicated a significant decrease of the average beam power with increasing distance
from the source. This fact has to be investigated in further experiments.
The second issue was concentrated on the plasma properties of the sputtered material emitted from the target. As
diagnostic methods, the Langmuir probe, the passive thermo probe and the RFA were used. In these
measurements the plasma from silicon, titanium as well as tantalum targets was investigated.
Due to the fact that this project is targeted to the development of an electromagnetic separator, the investigation
in the plasma properties were concentrated on the charged part of the sputtered material. An important parameter
is the ion density inside the plasma because the efficiency of a separator is limited by this parameter. For the
experimental determination, a Langmuir probe and a passive thermo probe with variable electric potential were
employed. The evaluation of the experiments yielded ion densities of 1013 to 1014 ions/(cm2s), which would lead
to approximately half of the coating rate compared to other IBS processes depending on the efficiency of the
separator. Additionally, the measurement of dielectric materials is afflicted with a systematic imperfection,
which seems to lead to a covering effect for electrical fields. Nevertheless, the measurement shows a sufficient
ion density at the beginning of the experiments for the separation. In this frame also the kinetic energy of the
ions is of importance, because the kinetic energy determined the Larmour radius of the electrons as well as the
ions, which is essential for the generation of stable conditions in the ion pipe. The energy dispersive function of
ions was measured by an RFA. Hereby, ion energy in the order of a few eV was determined and therefore, the
energy is in accordance with the results presented for other published separation processes. The energy of the
ions is specific for the materials.

1
The mass of the test sample was 9.8 g. Therefore, the polishing of the test sample does not show a significant
influence on the measurement results.

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 Acknowledgements

The authors thank the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the cluster of excellence 201 QUEST-
Centre for Quantum Engineering and Space-Time Research. Additionally, the work was supported by the
German Ministry for Science and Education in the frame of the project “Plasma und optische Technologien –
Pluto” (BMBF, contract 13N10462 and contract 13N10460).

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