A modified technique for the production of Al2O3 by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering

Current technology permits the deposition of Al2O3 films up to a few tens of microns thick at low temperature, only after several hours. To this end, a modified technique for the production of films by dc reactive magnetron sputtering is presented focused on a combined hard and software approach using the principle of separation of the reactive gas feed from the target gas region. Results obtained from this are reported in the context of the hysteresis effect associated with such deposition processes. The applicability of this approach is extended to the deposition of other nonconducting materials. Film properties such as adhesion, optical absorption, hardness, and composition are presented and compared to those for Al2O3 produced by rf diode and rf magnetron sputtering. Deposition rate and process performance are also given for all techniques. The suitability of the material to magnetic head applications is also discussed.