Voltage Controlled Transition Mode
Reactive sputtering is a widely successful method for depositing insulating and hard coatings in modern industry. Compared to evaporation, sputtering offers the advantages of ion supported deposition, rendering it industrially attractive in spite of considerable equipment and electricity cost. The prime requirements to such coatings are high dielectric strength, insulation resistance and hardness. This is the opposite of the desired target materials properties: Electric conductivity and tolerance to thermal stress and power cycling.
