Patent ID: 8404089

Claim:
A sputtering method comprising: supplying power to at least one pair of targets which are disposed in a plurality of pieces arranged in parallel with and at a predetermined distance from each other, opposite to a substrate to be processed inside a sputtering chamber, the power being supplied in a bipolar pulsed mode by switching ON or OFF of each of switching elements in a bridge circuit connected to positive and negative DC output ends from a DC power supply source; and alternately switching each target of the at least one pair of targets to anode electrode and cathode electrode to cause glow discharge to take place between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, whereby a plasma atmosphere is formed to sputter the targets, wherein, during a short-circuited state of an output-short-circuiting switching element which is disposed between the positive and the negative DC outputs from the DC power supply source, the switching elements are operated such that ON or OFF timing is reversed, and a switching timing of the output-short-circuiting switching element is mutually deviated.