Low pressure and atmospheric pressure plasma-jet systems and their application for deposition of thin films

Zdenek Hubicka (1) , Martin Cada (1) , Olexandr Churpita (1) , Petr Virostko (1, 2) , Petr Adamek (3) , Hana Sichova (2) , Milos Sicha (1, 2) , Lubomir Jastrabik (1) , Milan Tichy (1, 2) , Marcela Holdova (1) , Jiri Olejnicek (1) , Mariya Chichina (1, 2)

1 Institute of Physics
2 Laboratory of plasma chemistry
3 Department of Physics

Two types of plasma jet systems were used for deposition of oxide layers on polymer substrates. The target was to deposit such kind of thin films with crystalline structure at low temperature in order to avoid polymer substrate damages. Both systems were excited by RF source working in pulse modulated mode. This modulation allowed exciting high density plasma in the active part of the duty cycle and simultaneously keeping the neutral gas in the plasma jets at the substrate cold thus protecting polymer substrate from thermal damages. The first system was the low pressure plasma jet system excited by RF hollow cathode. The hollow cathode works simultaneously as a nozzle. This system works in vacuum system which was continuously pumped. The low pressure plasma jet system was used for deposition of PbZr_xTi_(1-x)O_3 (PZT) perovskite thin films on kapton (polymer) foil with Pt electrode layer. The RF hollow cathode nozzle was fabricated from PZT ceramics and was reactively sputtered in Ar and O_2 high-density hollow cathode pulse modulated plasma. The substrate bias and ion flux current were monitored during the deposition process. Langmuir probe system was used for measurement of plasma parameters in different part of the modulation cycle in the location of the substrate. This measurement was combined with monitoring of RF voltage, current and their relative phase in the RF hollow cathode. The second system was the RF barrier torch atmospheric discharge plasma jet. This system works at open air without any vacuum system. This system was used for a low temperature deposition of thin conductive oxide thin films at atmospheric pressure on polymer substrates. Under certain condition in the atmospheric plasma jet, these films have crystalline structure. ZnO films deposited directly on polymer contained hexagonal crystalline phase, they were optically transparent and have electrical conductivity sigma~10^-1-100 S/cm. As growth precursors for ZnO films, Zn-acetylacetonate vapors were used.

Mots clés: plasma jet; pulse RF modulation; Langmuir probe; atmospheric pressure; PZT film; ZnO film; XRD analysis

Domaines: Physique des plasmas [physics.plasm-ph]

Zdenek Hubicka, Martin Cada, Olexandr Churpita, Petr Virostko, Petr Adamek, et al.. Low pressure and atmospheric pressure plasma-jet systems and their application for deposition of thin films. 2004. ⟨hal-00002042⟩