Effect of scattering of sputtered atoms on the growth rate of films fabricated by magnetron sputtering

The results of the theoretical calculations of the fraction of unscattered sputtered atoms in magnetron sputtering are presented. The experimentally obtained pressure dependence of the growth rate of silicon films reveals a correlation with the theoretically calculated dependence of the fraction of unscattered sputtered atoms. If the pressure is raised from 1.5 to 8.5 mTorr, the growth rate of silicon films decreases by 25%, while the fraction of unscattered sputtered atoms over the cathode–substrate distance decreases by as much as 90%.