A novel topology for pulse generators in magnetron sputter systems

Pulse generators in magnetron sputter systems have to generate an electromagnetic field between the magnetrons under different operating conditions. Most of the electric parameters like output power, pulse width and the switching frequency have to be adjustable in a wide range. Another changing parameter is the load behaviour which varies from high impedance to Zener characteristic during every switching period. Starting from a comparison of current topologies, this paper presents a novel pulse generator for pulsed plasma surface technologies (PPST). It is demonstrated that the combination of different basic topologies results in an improved efficiency of the sputter process.