Magnetron sputtering – Technology, process & systems

Polyteknik delivers advanced magnetron sputtering solutions for research & development as well as an integrated part of the industrial production line. From DC and RF sputtering to HiPIMS, our modular platforms are built around the processes that matter to customer applications.

Magnetron sputtering

Magnetron sputtering is a physical vapour deposition (PVD) technique in which high-energy ions from a plasma bombard a solid target material, ejecting atoms that travel through a vacuum and condense onto a substrate to form a thin film.

The key difference from conventional sputtering is the arrangement of magnets behind the target. The magnetic field confines electrons close to the target surface, creating a dense and stable plasma at lower operating pressures and voltages. This enables higher deposition rates, improved film quality, and reduced substrate heating compared with conventional sputtering.

Magnetron sputtering is widely used for depositing metals, alloys, oxides, and nitrides across microelectronics, optical coatings, surface engineering, and research applications.

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What is sputtering?

Sputtering, also referred to as cathodic sputtering or sputter deposition, is one of the principal physical vapour depositin (PVD) processes for depositing thin metal films.

In sputtering, a target made of the source material is placed in a vacuum chamber together with the substrate to be coated. An inert gas, typically argon, is introduced and ionised to create a plasma. The positively charged ions are accelerated toward the negatively biased target, striking it with enough energy to eject, or “sputter”, atoms from the surface. These atoms travel through the chamber and condense on the substrate, forming a thin, adherent film.

The number of atoms ejected per incident ion, known as the sputtering yield, depends on factors such as the target material, ion energy, and angle of incidence, and is a key parameter when optimising deposition rate and film uniformity.

Sputter deposition offers good step coverage on complex geometries, great flexibility with compound and alloy targets, and superior adhesion.

How does magnetron sputtering work?

The defining feature of magnetron sputtering, compared with conventional diode sputtering, is the arrangement of magnets behind the target. These magnets create a magnetic field above the target surface that confines secondary electrons close to the target. The increased electron density leads to more frequent ionising collisions with the argon gas, sustaining a dense plasma at much lower pressures (typically 0.1–1 Pa) and lower voltages than is possible without the magnetic field.

This high plasma density translates directly into a higher flux of ions striking the target, enabling higher deposition rates and more efficient sputtering. The magnetic configuration also influences the ion bombardment of the growing film, which can contribute to improved film density and adhesion while limiting substrate heating — an important advantage for temperature-sensitive substrates.

Unbalanced magnetron configurations extend the magnetic field towards the substrate, increasing ion bombardment of the growing film. This can improve film density and adhesion and provides additional control over film properties.

Reactive sputtering introduces a reactive gas such as oxygen or nitrogen alongside argon. The reactive gas reacts with the sputtered target material to form compound films such as TiO₂, Si₃N₄, or AlN, without needing a compound target. Precise control of the reactive gas partial pressure is critical is critical for achieving the desired film composition and stoichiometry and is typically managed through dynamic in-situ process control.

Magnetron sputtering deposition processes

The choice of sputtering process depends on the target material, the required film properties, and production throughput.

Polyteknik AS has deep experience across all major magnetron sputtering configurations.

DC sputtering

The simplest and most widely used configuration for conductive sputtering targets.

A direct-current power supply applies a negative potential to the target, creating the conditions needed to sustain the plasma and accelerate positive ions towards the target. This configuration is particularly well suited to conductive materials such as aluminium, titanium, copper, and molybdenum, where the target remains electrically conductive throughout the process.

Pulsed DC sputtering

A pulsed power supply periodically reverses the target bias, discharging accumulated charge before arcing can occur.

Preferred for reactive sputtering of oxide and nitride films from metallic targets, where conventional DC would lead to unstable arcing.

RF sputtering

Radio-frequency alternating current prevents charge build-up on non-conductive sputtering targets such as ceramics, glasses, and polymers.

RF sputtering enables direct deposition of insulating materials without the need for a metallic target and reactive gas, making it the standard approach for oxide and nitride films in optical and semiconductor applications.

HiPIMS

High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) delivers very high peak power in short pulses, generating an exceptionally dense, highly ionised plasma.

The resulting films have superior density, adhesion, and smoothness — critical for hard coatings, diffusion barriers, wide-bandgap semiconductor layers, and precision optical applications.

HiPIMS is increasingly specified wherever conventional DC or RF sputtering cannot meet the film quality requirements.

Bipolar sputtering

Alternates polarity between two adjacent targets, suppressing arcing during reactive deposition. Delivers stable, high-rate deposition of compound films with minimal defects and is well suited to production environments.

Polyteknik PVD platforms – magnetron sputtering

Our PVD platforms are designed around modularity and process flexibility. Whether you need a single-chamber research tool or a fully automated cluster for industrial production, Polyteknik has a proven solution.

Flextura sputter module

A compact, configurable sputtering chamber supporting DC, pulsed DC, RF, HiPIMS, and bipolar processes. Multiple sources enable co-deposition of complex multilayer stacks. The foundation of our cluster architecture.

Flextura sputter module

Flextura Cluster

Multiple Flextura modules attached to a central transfer chamber for sequential thin film deposition without vacuum breaks. Optimised for high-volume, repeatable production of complex multilayer stacks.

Flextura 200 cluster

Infinity VB

A vertical batch sputtering system designed for large-area and high-throughput applications. Utilises magnetron sputtering in a configuration optimised for uniformity across large substrate formats.

Infinity VB

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