Sputtering

<p>In physics, sputtering is a phenomenon in which microscopic <a href="/facts/Particle/JHKr2w6h">particles</a> of a solid material are ejected from its surface, after the material is itself bombarded by energetic <a href="/facts/Particle/JHKr2w6h">particles</a> of a <a href="/facts/Plasma_(physics)/1d3btMVU">plasma</a> or <a href="/facts/Gas/hVVAoodV">gas</a>. It occurs naturally in <a href="/facts/Outer_space/R3LRKyFs">outer space</a>, and can be an unwelcome source of <a href="/facts/Wear/2PxRQ1Ke">wear</a> in precision components. However, the fact that it can be made to act on extremely fine layers of material is utilised in science and industry—there, it is used to perform precise <a href="/facts/Etching/PM0FmoSb">etching</a>, carry out analytical techniques, and deposit <a href="/facts/Thin_film/nSeoUT4Q">thin film</a> layers in the manufacture of <a href="/facts/Optical_coating/pGnrNRn6">optical coatings</a>, <a href="/facts/Semiconductor_device/6W3ryr50">semiconductor devices</a> and <a href="/facts/Nanotechnology/Co4FFNfY">nanotechnology</a> products. It is a <a href="/facts/Physical_vapor_deposition/RNcNPVjU">physical vapor deposition</a> technique.
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Sputtering open-in-new

Sputtering