Plasma characterization and morphological study for zirconium thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering at different powers

The electrical properties of zirconium thin films has been studied by Langmuir probe technique. The electron energy, electronic density, and ionic density of the samples were measured at low pressure with a varying power (60  to 160 W). Our results show that the energy of electrons decreases with increasing power, while the densities of electrons and ions have increased. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were used to determine the thickness as well as surface morphology of zirconium thin films, where the thickness was increased with the increasing of the power of the plasma DC generator. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis method was employed to reveal information about the composition of the films. Plasma characterization and the quality of prepared films (roughness and thickness) allows us using these films in several potential applications.