HiPIMS-technology and field of application

Starting with the introduction of planar magnetron cathodes in the mid seventies magnetron sputtering has taken nearly all industrial branches, dealing with thin film coatings, which are in assault. Numerous milestones within the last 30 years were set, whereas some of the most important were the development of rotary cathodes("CMAG") and the introduction of pulsed plasmas. High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) or High Power Pulse Magnetron Sputtering (HPPMS) is a further innovative step towards coatings with superior quality. HiPIMS typically uses pulses in the megawatt range, resulting in power densities of 1000 W/cm2 and higher (compared to typically 20 -50 W/cm(2)). The major benefit of the new technology is a very high degree of ionised target material of 50-90%, leading to superior coating properties like high density, very smooth surfaces, and high refractive index for optical coatings. Besides the introduction in highly ionised pulse plasmas the potential of this new technology will be demonstrated by recent results of applied research for applications in different industrial branches.