Oerlikon Surface Solutions Ag, Pfaffikon

Oerlikon Surface Solutions Ag, Trubbach

Oerlikon Trading Ag, Trubbach

Oerlikon Advanced Technologies Ag

Kurt Ruhm

Siegfried Krassnitzer

Jürgen Ramm

Beno Widrig

Martin Dubs

Markus Lechthaler

Daniel Lendi

Hartmut Rohrmann

Jurgen Ramm

The invention relates to a method for operating a pulsed discontinuous spark discharge. The spark is fed via a capacitor. Between the pulses there are switched-off time intervals during which no spark current flows. Within the pulses, that is to say during the switched-on time intervals, the supply of charge is stopped upon a current threshold being reached and is restarted, with the result that subpulses occur within the pulses. The time intervals and subpulses are chosen according to the invention such that when the capacitor is switched on again, the spark discharge readily ignites again.

Carbon spark evaporation

The invention relates to a magnetron sputtering process that allows material to be sputtered from a target surface in such a way that a high percentage of the sputtered material is provided in the form of ions. According to the invention, said aim is achieved using a simple generator, the power of which is fed to multiple magnetron sputtering sources spread out over several time intervals, i.e. the maximum power is supplied to one sputtering source during one time interval, and the maximum power is supplied to the following sputtering source in the subsequent time interval, such that discharge current densities of more than 0.2 A/cmare obtained. The sputtering target can cool down during the off time, thus preventing the temperature limit from being exceeded.

High-power sputtering source

The invention relates to a method for supplying power impulses for PVD sputtering cathodes subdivided into partial cathodes. In said method, the power impulse intervals acting on the partial cathodes are selected in such a way as to overlap, thereby dispensing with the need to interrupt the drawing of power supplied by the generator.

Method for supplying sequential power impulses

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Schaanwald, Liechtenstein

Kurt Ruhm