Abstract
Magnetron discharge is maintained with very low target DC voltages (100-200 V) by applying 40 MHz VHF power to the target, without decreasing sputter deposition rate. From measurement of Ar+ energy distribution function (EDF) and simulation of Ar+ and Ar EDFs, it is confirmed that the VHF-DC magnetron discharge suppresses the maximum kinetic energy of backscattered Ar atom. This magnetron sputter source is applied to the deposition of magnetic multilayer film for perpendicular magnetic recording. From measurements of atomic force microprobe, the VHF-DC magnetron sputtering shows drastically-improved film flatness, compared with conventional DC magnetron sputtering.
