Kurt J. Lesker Company (KJLC) introduced a novel optical coating system incorporating the Isoflux Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron (ICM).
setup
The process:
1) Atoms are sputtered to the substrate off-axially.
2) Meanwhile, electrons cut across the magnetic field lines, leave the end of the cathode and move toward to the substrate.
3) Electrons draw positive ions along with them, bombard the substrate. Therefore it provides a degree of ion bombardment without incorporating a separate ion source.
Advantages
- Able to coat substrates of different curvatures with high degrees of uniformity
- Virtually eliminates changeover time between batches
- Enables the deposition of coatings of equivalent quality to ion assisted deposition but without the need for a separate ion source
- Reduces cost and complexity
Source: https://www.lesker.com