A method of magnetron sputter-deposition or of manufacturing a substrate coated with a magnetron-sputter-deposited layer, comprising: • providing in a vacuum enclosure (4,40,60) a target of a ferromagnetic material and having a sputter surface and extending along a target plane; • providing a substrate having a surface to be sputter coated; • providing a reaction space between said sputter surface and said surface to be sputter coated; • generating in said reaction space a magnetron magnetic field (B m), the magnetic field lines thereof, arcing between a first outer pole surface of said sputter surface and a first inner pole surface, said first outer pole surface forming a closed loop on said sputter surface around said first inner pole surface, seen in a direction towards said sputter surface; • generating in said reaction space a further magnetic field (B a); • generating in said reaction space, by superposition of said magnetron magnetic field (B m), and said further magnetic field (B a), a resultant magnetic field (B r), • controlling by said resultant magnetic field the direction of magnetic anisotropy in the layer sputter deposited on said substrate, along at least a predominant part of said surface of said substrate to be sputter coated, to become unidirectional, • generating said resultant magnetic field along a predominant surface area of said surface of said substrate to be sputter coated characterized by • generating said further magnetic field between at least one second outer pole surface and at least one second inner pole surface; • selecting the magnetic polarity of said first outer pole surface and the magnetic polarity of said at least one second outer pole surfaces to be equal and selecting the magnetic polarity of said first inner pole surface and the magnetic polarity of said at least one second inner pole surface to be equal, the directional component of said resultant magnetic field (B r), parallel to said target plane at a locus in said reaction space being larger than the directional component of said magnetron magnetic field (B m), parallel to said target plane at said locus, at least in a predominant volumearea of said reaction space. • providing in a vacuum enclosure (4,40,60) a target of a ferromagnetic material and having a sputter surface and extending along a target plane; • providing a substrate having a surface to be sputter coated; • providing a reaction space between said sputter surface and said surface to be sputter coated; • generating in said reaction space a magnetron magnetic field (B m), the magnetic field lines thereof, arcing between a first outer pole surface of said sputter surface and a first inner pole surface, said first outer pole surface forming a closed loop on said sputter surface around said first inner pole surface, seen in a direction towards said sputter surface; • generating in said reaction space a further magnetic field (B a); • generating in said reaction space, by superposition of said magnetron magnetic field (B m), and said further magnetic field (B a), a resultant magnetic field (B r), • controlling by said resultant magnetic field the direction of magnetic anisotropy in the layer sputter deposited on said substrate, along at least a predominant part of said surface of said substrate to be sputter coated, to become unidirectional, • generating said resultant magnetic field along a predominant surface area of said surface of said substrate to be sputter coated characterized by • generating said further magnetic field between at least one second outer pole surface and at least one second inner pole surface; • selecting the magnetic polarity of said first outer pole surface and the magnetic polarity of said at least one second outer pole surfaces to be equal and selecting the magnetic polarity of said first inner pole surface and the magnetic polarity of said at least one second inner pole surface to be equal, the directional component of said resultant magnetic field (B r), parallel to said target plane at a locus in said reaction space being larger than the directional component of said magnetron magnetic field (B m), parallel to said target plane at said locus, at least in a predominant volumearea of said reaction space.