ABSTRACT
Reactive sputtering is a method to deposit films which have a different composition from the target by adding a gas to the sputtering system to produce a reaction of the gas with the target material. Reactive sputtering has often been carried out inadvertantly because of inadequate understanding of the reactivity in the discharges used for sputtering. Reactive sputtering for film deposition was carried out initially by diode sputtering with simple DC power supplies. Both metallic and non-metallic targets were sputtered; the oxide ceramic targets were made sufficiently conducting by firing in a reducing atmosphere. The energetic sputtered species arriving at the substrate cause heating of the substrate and may also significantly affect the film properties. The real application of reactive sputtering was to deposit Ta2N films for resistors in thin film hybrid circuits.
