Description of a typical application

The term “sputtering” is a physical process in which atoms are released from a solid (target) by bombardment with high-energy ions (predominantly noble gas ions) and then transferred to the gas phase. The term “sputtering” usually refers only to the sputter deposition, a high-vacuum-based coating technique belonging to the group of PVD processes. Furthermore, sputtering is used in surface physics as a cleaning method for the preparation of high-purity surfaces and as a method for analyzing the chemical composition of surfaces. The DELTALINE series is a very flexible R&D and production system for such thin film deposition processes.