High-power pulsed magnetron sputter technology

In recent years an ever growing interest has been taken in the pulsed magnetron sputter technique for reactive layer deposition. In order to coat large areas at high productivity it is necessary to work with MF sputtering powers of more than 50 kW. To this end, frequencies in a range of 50-100 kHz have to be employed. Here we report about results obtained with a dual magnetron sputter system (DMS-system) in industrial scale. Employed for the purpose were sine-wave generators with MF powers of up to 100 kW and DMS-systems with a length between 610 and 3600 mm. Used as target materials were silicon, titanium and tin while oxygen was taken as reactive gas. A survey is given about the present state of the art and the problems to be solved when working with very high powers. Explained is the influence of process parameters on the maximum power taken up in the plasma. The influence of current and voltage of the discharge, frequency and pressure are presented. Also explained are possibilities for the defined adjustment of the operating point in regard of the various coating materials. The results demonstrate the state of industrial maturity of the PMS-process very high powers.