| 摘要 |
A method for sputtering metal from a sputtering target includes: a) providing a reaction chamber; b) providing a substrate within the reaction chamber; c) providing a metal target within the reaction chamber, the metal target comprising an eroding surface; d) providing a gaseous mixture comprising argon gas and at least one of helium gas or neon gas; e) forming a plasma from said gaseous mixture, the plasma having a threshold plasma pressure below which the plasma will not exist, the ratio of argon gas to other plasma components being selected to substantially minimize the threshold plasma pressure; f) impacting components of the plasma onto the eroding surface of the metal target to dislodge target atoms therefrom; and g) depositing the dislodged target atoms onto the substrate. In another aspect, a method for substantially maximizing a mean free path of dislodged target atoms within a reaction chamber comprises: a) providing a target within the reaction chamber; b) providing a gaseous mixture within the chamber, the gaseous mixture comprising argon gas and at least one of helium gas or neon gas, and thereby comprising a ratio of argon gas in the gaseous mixture; c) forming a gaseous-mixture plasma from the gaseous mixture, the plasma comprising plasma components; and d) impacting the plasma components with the target to dislodge target atoms therefrom, the ratio of argon in the plasma to other plasma components being selected to substantially maximize the mean free path of the dislodged target atoms.
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