Reactive d.c. magnetron sputter deposited Al2O3 films:: large-area coatings for industrial applications

Stoichiometric Al2O3 films are produced with a pure Prl source in the metallic state in an O-2+Ar gas mixture using reactive d.c. magnetron sputtering. Substrates as large as 70 x 100 cm(2) are uniformly coated at room temperature while moving in front of the cathode. The key to the success lies in utilizing a sufficiently high working gas pressure and a sufficiently large source-to-substrate distance. Monte Carlo simulations are used to estimate the latter. The process is extremely stable, and despite the large target size, no arcing is detected. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.