Sputtering and in-plane texture control during the deposition of MgO

Abstract

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to study the fundamental role of the ion beam in determining the in-plane texture of 〈100〉 oriented (out-of-plane) MgO films during ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). Sputter yields are determined as a function of in-plane orientation for Ar ion beams. The minimum sputter yield exists at an ion beam orientation corresponding to the MgO 〈110〉 direction. The finite width of the sputter yield minimum is attributable to two main factors: (i) only a fraction of the incident ions are oriented to travel directly down the center of the channel and (ii) ions that are not exactly parallel to the channeling direction may channel. While the simulations imply that it is possible to in-plane orient 001 MgO films using IBAD, there are fundamental limitations on the degree of ordering that can be achieved. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.