[labnetwork] Issue Striking Plasma for NiFe Sputtering on Angstrom Nexdep PVD System – Need Guidance

[Mohammad Mohtasim Hamid Pial]

Dear All,

I am attempting to deposit NiFe using a magnetron sputtering setup (Angstrom Engineering – Nexdep PVD platform). Below are my target specifications and sputtering parameters:

Target: NiFe (2" dia × 1 mm, 4N purity) bonded to a 1/8" Cu backing plate
Sputtering Method: DC Magnetron Sputtering
DC Power: 100–150 W
Base Pressure: ~10⁻⁶ Torr
Ar Gas Flow Rate: 20–30 sccm
Working Pressure: 3–5 mTorr

However, I am unable to ignite the plasma. The DC power supply setpoint keeps blinking and the power stalls around 15 W before dropping

Could this issue be due to insufficient magnetic field strength (not penetrating the thick target/Cu backing), or is the target too thick for effective plasma ignition? Do I need a thinner target or additional magnetic confinement?

I would greatly appreciate any insights or recommendations from anyone who has sputtered NiFe or similar high-permeability alloys on this platform.

Thank you in advance!
Pial


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mtl.mit.edu/pipermail/labnetwork/attachments/20251013/5809e452/attachment.html>