Measurement and Analysis of Surface Temperature Gradients on Magnetron Sputtered Thin Film Growth Studied Using NiCr/NiSi Thin Film Thermocouples

Abstract In the general analysis of thin‐film growth processes, it is often assumed that the temperature of the film growth surface is the same as the temperature of the film growth substrate. However, a temperature gradient exists between the film growth surface and film growth substrate. Using the growth surface of TiO 2 thin films as an example, the temperature gradient of the film growth surface is tested and analyzed. A NiCr/NiSi thin‐film thermocouple is fabricated using the direct‐current pulse magnetron sputtering method. A three‐layer NiCr/NiSi thin‐film thermocouple temperature measurement system is established to measure the temperature gradient of the film growth surface. The growth surface temperature and substrate temperature of the TiO 2 thin films are measured. For a sputtering power density of 0.83 W cm − 2 , the temperature difference between the first and second layers is 104.79 °C, while the temperature difference between the second and third layers is 39.92 °C. A standard K ‐type thermocouple is used to measure the substrate temperature, which is recorded to be 132.05 °C, consistent with common measurements of substrate temperature. The heat conduction on the film growth surface in the vacuum chamber is examined and a model for the temperature measurement device during film growth is constructed.