Magnetron sputtering

Thin-film deposition by sputtering is a process belonging to the family of physical vapor deposition. Sputtering is the erosion of a surface by bombardment with energetic ions. The ions may be generated by an ion source (ion beam sputtering) or in a low-pressure plasma. They hit the surface of a solid (the target) and cause the ejection of atoms by momentum transfer in a collision cascade. Sputtering is often called a billiard game on the atomic scale. It was first observed in 1852 by Grove as an unwanted 'dirt effect.' He investigated the nature of low-pressure gas discharges and found metallic films on the glass tube near the cathode. It should be pointed out that sputtering is not an evaporation process, since there is a direct transition from the solid to the vapor phase (sublimation) from a cold target.