Apparatus for reactive sputter coating at least one article

摘要

An apparatus for performing the method comprising a vacuum treatment chamber containing a target of ohmic conductive material. The target and workpiece are supported by suitable electrodes. Superimposed DC and AC power is applied to generate a glow discharge in the chamber in which the target is sputtered. Particles sputtered off the target react with a reactive gas in the space between the target and workpiece and the reaction product is deposited upon the workpiece. The operating parameters of the system are selected so that sputtering and deposition are performed in an unstable transition mode between a metallic and a reactive mode whereby particles are deposited on the workpiece to form a layer on the workpiece of lower conductivity than the target material. A feedback arrangement is preferably utilized to maintain operation with the aforesaid unstable transition mode.