Electron transport in magnetrons by a posteriori Monte Carlo simulations

Electron transport across magnetic barriers is crucial in all magnetized plasmas. It governs not only the plasma parameters in the volume, but also the fluxes of charged particles towards the electrodes and walls. It is particularly important in high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) reactors, influencing the quality of the deposited thin films, since this type of discharge is characterized by an increased ionization fraction of the sputtered material. Transport coefficients of electron clouds released both from the cathode and from several locations in the discharge volume are calculated for a HiPIMS discharge with pre-ionization operated in argon at 0.67 Pa and for very short pulses (few mu s) using the a posteriori Monte Carlo simulation technique. For this type of discharge electron transport is characterized by strong temporal and spatial dependence. Both drift velocity and diffusion coefficient depend on the releasing position of the electron cloud. They exhibit minimum values at the centre of the race-track for the secondary electrons released from the cathode. The diffusion coefficient of the same electrons increases from 2 to 4 times when the cathode voltage is doubled, in the first 1.5 mu s of the pulse. These parameters are discussed with respect to empirical Bohm diffusion.