Dr. André Anders: Plasmas, Metals, Sputtering, and Materials

Thin coatings of metal are everywhere, from mirrors to microelectronic devices to the wear-resistant coatings on cutting tools. How are these coatings made, particularly on heat sensitive materials (like plastic!) that could never withstand being in contact with liquid metal? These coatings are produced by plasmas! Plasma magnetron sputtering systems use energetic ions to knock metal atoms off of a substrate (sputtering). Once released from the solid, the metal atoms can coat another surface. In this video, Dr. André Anders of the Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering in Leipzig, Germany describes plasma magnetron systems, capable of creating metal plasmas that are used for coating surface.