Spatially resolved characterization of a dc magnetron plasma using optical emission spectroscopy

In this work, a reactive argon-nitrogen [Ar/N-2(10/1)] dc magnetron plasma for sputtering of a chromium (Cr) target is characterized with high spatial resolution by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) using molecular nitrogen emission bands at 0.5 Pa and 100 W. Beside the global gas temperature T-g, the electron temperature T-e, electron density n(e), and the steady-state Cr density n(e), are also determined spatially resolved using a movable OES setup inside the chamber and Abel inversion. n(e) and T-e are found to be consistent with the values measured by a Langmuir probe (LP) within the non-magnetized region along the magnetron axis in a pure Ar plasma for the same process parameters. Finally, a nitrogen content car of 4% in the target surface is found for the reactive plasma by matching the mean steady-state chromium density (n) over bar (Cr) measured by OES and calculated from TRIDYN simulations.