Abstract: A process is provided for sputter-induced precipitation of metal oxide layers on substrates by means of a reactive sputter process. The plasma charge acting upon the target to be evaporated is provided with electric power selected such that the metal oxide layers precipitated on the substrates to be coated are deposited at a precipitation rate of ≧4 nm/s. During the coating process the substrate to be coated is arranged stationary in relation to the target material to be evaporated. The electrodes are connected in a conductive manner to the outputs of an alternating current source whereby the alternating frequency of the alternating current provided for the electrical supply of the plasma discharge is selected between 10 kHz and 80 kHz. Particularly preferred is that the precipitated oxide layer is a TiO2 layer or an SiO2 layer.

Abstract: A process gas source (16) is connected to the vacuum chamber (5), and a metering valve (12) actuated by an automatic controller is installed between the vacuum chamber (5) and the process gas source (16). A potentiometric measurement electrode compares the amount of a gas in the vacuum chamber (5) with a reference gas by way of a reference electrode or with a solid body substituting for the reference electrode and sends a signal to automatic control unit (14), which contains a signal amplifier. The control unit then drives the generator of the power supply or the metering valve for the process gas.

Abstract: A sputtering electrode is switched between two power values at a constant reactive gas flow rate which is selected so that the target of the sputtering electrode is in the metallic mode at the first power value while in the oxide mode at a second power value.

Abstract: In an apparatus for depositing polycrystalline diamond by plasma technology onto substrates (5) of large area, having a process chamber (1) with airlock (6a), a plurality of microwave plasma sources (9, 9′, . . . ) arranged in a common plane above the substrates (5) and extending transversely across the direction of substrate advancement, and gas inlet and gas outlet tubes (10, 10′, . . . , 11, 11′, . . . , 12, 12′, . . . , 13, 13′, . . . , 13a, . . . ) leading into the process chamber (1) are provided, a plurality of gas inlet and gas outlet tubes distributed over the length of the source are associated with each of the linear sources (9, 9′, . . . ), and the outlet openings of the gas inlet tubes being situated each directly above the linear source (9, 9′, . . . ), and the openings of the gas outlet tubes (13, 13′, . . . ) each in the area between two linear sources (9, 9′, . . .

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for the prevention of arcing in vacuum sputtering installations. This device comprises a pulse generator which brings the cathode of the sputtering installation at predetermined intervals to a positive potential, whereby a deposing of layers on a target takes place. This deposing prevents the building-up of high voltages which can lead to arcing.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for the operation of a high-power electron beam for the vaporization of materials in a target. With this method, static and dynamic deflection errors are corrected. First, the static and dynamic deflection errors are ascertained by means of a teach-in process for concrete spatial coordinates and concrete frequencies of the deflection currents and stored in a memory. For the later operation, this stored data is used in such a way that input geometric data for the incidence points of the electron beam is automatically recalculated into corrected current values which bring about the exact incidence onto the input points. A corresponding procedure takes place with the input of frequencies for the deflection current. The input frequencies are automatically corrected in terms of frequency and amplitude in order to eliminate the frequency-dependent attenuation effects.