Magnetron plasma sputtering arrangement

A magnetron plasma sputtering arrangement comprising:

• an evacuable chamber operatively coupled to a pumping system for generating a vacuum and a pressure and gas flow control;
• a sputtering head arranged, in the evacuable chamber, wherein the sputtering head comprises:
• a grounded anode;
• and
• a sputtering cathode comprising:
• a sputtering target;
• and
• magnets for enhancing a plasma produced at the sputtering target, the sputtering target operatively connected to an RF power supply for producing a plasma at the sputtering target and releasing plasma sputtered material from a sputtering target surface;
• a substrate holder for a substrate for receiving plasma sputtered material on a surface of the substrate, thereby forming a thin film of plasma sputtered material on the surface of the substrate;
• a tuning electrode configured to adjust a DC self-bias and operatively connected to a biasing source with respect to ground, wherein the tuning electrode defines only a single aperture defining at least one axis of length arranged in a flow path for plasma between the sputtering cathode and the substrate, such that a plasma sputtered material originating at the sputtering target will traverse the aperture before depositing onto the surface of the substrate as a thin film;
• wherein a size of the aperture and the at least one axis of length of the aperture are matched to a size of the sputtering target such that a cross-sectional area defined by the aperture is less than or equal to 1.5 times a cross-sectional area defined by the sputtering target.