Analytic model of the energy distribution for energetic electrons in HiPIMS

Summary form only given. High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) discharges are characterized by a near-target magnetized region, where the confined electrons ionize a substantial fraction of both the gas and the sputtered neutrals. This type of discharges present an energetic electron population that is accelerated in the cathode fall region and interacts with a uniform plasma bulk where it slows down. The energetic electrons enter the plasma as a monoenergetic beam and slow down by Coulomb collisions with a Maxwellian distribution of bulk electrons, and by inelastic collisions with neutrals. We present here an analytic calculation of the energetic electrons' distribution function. The results are verified for parameters appropriate to HiPIMS discharges, by means of numerical calculations.