Most superconducting thin films found on SRF cavity are generally produced through magnetron sputtering using niobium (Nb) as target. Yet, this technique can still be improved as the resulting film lack in efficiency. Alternative materials such as NbTiN could potentially be used with significant improvement compared to pure Nb films. Here, we report the use of both high-power impulse magnetron (HiPIMS) and bipolar HiPIMS to produce superconducting thin films, with a particular attention on the optimal conditions to enhance the film growth highly dependent on the pressure and power conditions. We used both mass spectroscopy and optical emission spectroscopy to analyze the plasma chemistry providing information on the mass/energy of the ions formed.

SRF cavities are commonly coated with superconducting materials (e.g., niobium) using magnetron sputtering. In this process, various power supplies are employed such as DC, pulsed DC or HiPIMS. The sputtered ions are ejected from the target to the cavity or sample surface with an energy dependent on the power conditions and pressure range. In this study, we investigated the efficiency of such deposition by tracking the mass and energy of the main ions produced (e.g., Kr+, Kr2+, Nb+, Nb2+) using mass spectroscopy. We report the optimal conditions suitable to enhance both ions energy and film growth by comparing to power supplies (DC and HiPIMS), for different pressure conditions ranging from 1e-3 mbar to 1e-1 mbar. To support the gas phase analysis, niobium films were produced on copper substrate and the film structured was analysed by SEM.