Time-resolved plasma parameters in the HiPIMS discharge with Ti target in Ar/O2 atmosphere

Fine temporal resolution of the measured probe characteristics revealed a decrease in the effective electron temperature Teff during pulse-ON time followed by a steady value at 0.6 eV for all the pressures during the rest of the period. For the pressure of 2 Pa, we observed a local maximum in Teff (0.9 eV) at the end of cathode voltage pulse. Furthermore, during the pulse-OFF time we observed an exponential-like decay of the electron temperature for all the pressures. The plasma density demonstrated a steep increase during pulse-ON time followed by an exponential-like decrease during plasma OFF phase. The ion flux measurements have revealed approximately 3 times higher magnitude in the ion flux on the substrate at low pressure than at higher-pressures. The influence of these phenomena on the total energy flux at substrate and on thin film properties is discussed.