Recently material physics group at Science Institute of University of Iceland has been using reactive sputtering to grow thin films used in various research projects at the institute. These films have been grown using dc sputtering which has been proven a very successful method. High power impulse magnetron sputtering or HiPIMS is an new pulsed power sputtering method where shorter but high power pulses are used to sputter over lower steady power.
The project resulted in a functional system capable of growing thin films using HiPIMS. Thin films grown with high power pulses have a higher film density and other more preferable properties compared to films grown using direct current magnetron sputtering.
Source: Uppsala University
Authors: Sveinsson, Ólafur Björgvin