Plasma enhanced direct current planar magnetron sputtering technique employing a twinned microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasma source

The dc discharge of a planar magnetron was enhanced by a twinned microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasma source. The magnetic cusp geometry formed in the processing chamber was used for plasma confinement. The sputtering discharge characteristics were investigated and a combined mode of voltage and current was observed at a pressure as low as 0.007 Pa. Carbon–nitride thin films were synthesized using this method. Characterization of the films show that deposition rate was high, the films were composed of a single amorphous carbon nitride phase with N/C ratio close to that of $C3N4,$ and the bonding was mainly of C–N type.