Ion beam sputtering: Dense and high-precision coatings for advanced applications

Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS), also known as Ion Beam Deposition or Ion Beam Sputter Deposition (IBSD), is a PVD technology that produces especially dense, uniform and defect-free thin films on a substrate.

A focused broad ion beam bombards the target material with noble gas ions, such as argon or nitrogen. The ions collide with the surface of the target with high kinetic energy, ejecting individual particles (atoms or molecules) of the material and causing them to condense on a substrate surface to form a thin coating.  By using various targets in one process chamber, multiple stacked layers, so-called multilayer coatings, can be produced with a high quality.

Compared to other PVD technologies like magnetron sputtering or evaporation, ion beam sputtering offers several advantages. The sputtered particles hit the substrate with high energy. Due to this, they have a high surface mobility and easily embed themselves between already deposited particles, resulting in particularly dense and defect-free layers. The low sputtering pressure and low process temperatures allow dense film growth and excellent film properties. In addition, the ion beam energy is precisely adjustable, allowing greater control over the properties of the deposited layer, including density, adhesion, and composition.

A special form of ion beam sputtering is dual ion beam sputtering or dual ion beam deposition. By adding an assist ion beam source, a second ion bombardment is used to influence the growing film on the substrate or pre-clean the substrate.