Optimization of deposition rate in HiPIMS by controlling the peak target current

High power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) is a very attractive ionized physical vapour deposition technique which has been of great interest over the last decade. Thanks to the high ionization degree of the sputtered material (typically > 50%), this technique is used mainly for enhancing and tailoring coating properties. However, the lower deposition rate compared to the conventional direct-current (dc) magnetron sputtering process still represents a major drawback of HiPIMS. In this contribution, a study of the ability to control the peak target current in HiPIMS discharge through certain experimental parameters and, thus, to overcome the deposition rate limitation is presented. The HiPIMS was operated with ultra-short pulse durations (< 20 mu s) and two different operation modes have been used: single-pulse mode and multi-pulse mode, respectively. The peak target current was controlled by changing the target voltage, pulse duration, magnetic field, and target erosion depth. For a certain favorable combination of experimental parameters, it was found that the deposition rate value can be increased by a factor of up to 3.5, reaching values only 20% lower than those found in dc.