Method for surface coating according to the sputtering principle

A method for surface coating according to the sputtering principle using a plasma coating device, the plasma coating device comprising:

• a vacuum chamber adapted to be evacuated by a vacuum pump,
• at least one sputtering source arranged in the vacuum chamber with a target made of a solid material,
• a substrate to be coated in the vacuum chamber, and
• at least one carrier gas source opening into the vacuum chamber, which is configured to produce a carrier gas stream directed towards the sputtering source,
• comprising the following steps:
• evacuating the vacuum chamber,
• supplying a carrier gas stream from the carrier gas source to the target such that a plasma with ions from atoms of the carrier gas is produced inside the vacuum chamber in an area of the target, wherein the plasma ions dissolve particles out of the solid material of the target and the dissolved particles are supplied to the surface of the substrate as a particle flow,
• wherein
• the carrier gas stream is discontinuously supplied to the target of the sputtering source by modulating the gas flow of the carrier gas stream without increasing an average gas flow of the carrier gas stream over time.