Slotted thin-film sputter deposition targets for ferromagnetic materials

An extended life sputtering target for depositing a ferromagnetic material onto a substrate in a chamber of a sputtering apparatus using a magnetic field passing through the target to produce a plasma field within the chamber, the target comprising a plate formed from the ferromagnetic material and having a supporting surface, a working surface substantially opposite to the supporting surface and from which atoms of the ferromagnetic material are caused by the plasma field to be detached from the target, the distance between the supporting surface and the working surface being greater than an optimum distance by which a sufficient plasma field can be created, the plate defining a plurality of grooves cut into the working surface and forming both discrete areas on the working surface and a recessed surface between the supporting surface and the working surface, the distance between the recessed surface and the supporting surface being sufficiently small and the area of the recessed surface being sufficiently large such that the plasma field in the chamber is sufficient to detach ferromagnetic material atoms from the working surface.