Transport and deposition of plasma-sputtered platinum atoms: Comparison between experiments and simulation

The deposition of platinum atoms by argon plasma sputtering has been simulated by using a 3-D Monte Carlo simulation called Sputtered Particles Transport in Gas, which provides spatial and energy distributions of the Pt atoms impinging on the substrate and on the chamber walls. The Yamamura formula provides the Pt sputtering yield from argon ions, whereas the initial energy distribution of sputtered atoms is given by the Thompson distribution. The Pt flux on the chamber walls and on the substrate are compared with experimental deposition rates.