Denton Vacuum, LLC products

Inverted cylindrical magnetron sputtering, or ICM sputtering, is a patent thin film deposition technique that coats films with excellent uniformity, regardless of the substrate’s geometry. ICM sputtering follows the same process steps as conventional magnetron sputtering. When positively charged ions from a generated plasma collide with a negatively biased target, atoms are ejected or sputtered onto the substrate to create a thin film. A typical magnetron sputtering configuration uses planar cathodes, while ICM sputtering uses a cylindrical cathode. The substrate sits inside the cylinder, and instead of sputtering up or down, the cylindrical cathode sputters inwards toward the substrate. This geometry enables a high degree of uniformity on 3D or curved substrates, without sacrificing deposition rate or adding process steps for rotation.