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A Brief Look at the History of Sputter Deposition

Sputter deposition dates all the way back to the mid 1800s.

When it comes to the history of sputter deposition, it should be noted that it dates all the way back to a century ago. The idea of thin film deposition was first conceived back in 1852 by Grove. This style of thin film production became commonly used in the 1920s when it came to the preparation of reflective coatings. Then, the major company Western Electric started utilizing sputter deposition to deposit gold on wax masters. This was only the beginning for deposition as new methods began to emerge and replace older styles of thin film production.

The Reemergence of Sputter Deposition

Sputter deposition started to fade into the distance after thermal evaporation became available. It was a new and improved type of process, at the time, and proved that it can still provide an outstanding film with the use of thermal energy. Now, this doesn’t mean that sputter deposition became completely obsolete. In the 1950s, sputter deposition began hitting the main stage yet again when Bell Laboratories developed tantalum hybrid circuit technology through the use of sputter deposition. Once again, sputter deposition proved that it was here to stay.

Today’s Outlook on Thin Film Deposition

Fast forward to today’s deposition techniques, there are a variety of different methods and tactics when it comes to the production of thin films. New vacuum coating systems have been created that provide all of the benefit that your standard system would, but within a vacuum environment, and other products have made their mark on society.