Patent ID: 7368041

Claim:
A method for manufacturing magnetron sputter-coated workplaces comprising the steps of: applying a substrate to be magnetron sputter-coated adjacent a magnetron source having a target cathode arrangement; generating above said target cathode arrangement at least one plasma loop by means of an electron trap established by generating, on one hand, a magnetic field which forms, in top view onto the target cathode arrangement, a magnet field loop and, viewed in a cross-sectional direction upon said target cathode arrangement, a tunnel-shaped arc field and, on the other hand, an electric field which crosses at an angle to said magnetic field of said magnet field loop; controlling plasma density distribution above said target cathode arrangement by controllably interacting in a limited control segment area which is substantially shorter than the overall length of said plasma loop by means of a control anode with said electron trap; and magnetron sputter-coating said substrate by said magnetron sputter-source.