Hysteresis behaviour of silver sputtered in different plasma atmospheres at constant flow rates

The effects of ion bombardment on sputtering behaviour of pure silver targets in inert and active gas atmospheres were investigated, using a dc planar magnetron sputtering system. The obtained current-voltage characteristics showed the formation of hysteresis loops without noticeable sharp transitions. Redeposited layers of silver nitride or silver oxide on the target surface when using nitrogen or oxygen in the glow discharge, residual ionization when using dry argon atmosphere were considered the main reasons for the occurrence of these loops. The results indicate that films of AgNx and AgOx can be deposited with controlled x in the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 using voltage control at constant gas flow rates. (author)