Industrial use of HiPIMS and the hiP‐V hiPlus technology

It has been demonstrated by several groups that HiPIMS is a state of the art tool for applying demanding coatings with superior film properties. The real industrial breakthrough for the HiPIMS‐technology, has not yet happened. On the other hand, the up till now available HiPIMS‐PS were mainly been up‐scaled “prototypes”, far away from industrial work horses. With the hiP‐V HiPIMS power system, a direct derivative of a robust power supply technology already in commercial use for public transportation systems, another milestone is set to make the HiPIMS technology go mainstream. HiPIMS is not a revolution that will make all other technologies obsolete, yet it is a very powerful complement. With a reliable, multi‐functional power supply and with a rapid arc‐handling, it could possibly be a start of a new era in thin film production. Just consider the possibility of etching and implantation to increase cleanliness and adhesion of the samples. Until now, most of the R&D work done in HiPIMS, has been dedicated to hard coatings and tool coatings. Here, HiPIMS is surely useful but not the expected technological breakthrough. For the future, the implementation of the new positive reverse pulse, the hiP‐V hiPlus HiPIMS technology, is opening a whole new field of possible applications for i.e. nonconductive substrates where no bias can be applied. Glass and plastics can be processed with remarkable results in hardness, enhanced film properties and additionally, it is achieved at lower substrate temperatures. It has been a slow start for HiPIMS, but the future looks bright.