Sputtering is a process whereby atoms are ejected from a solid target material due to bombardment of the target by energetic ions. It is commonly used for thin-film deposition, etching and analytical techniques (see below). Physics of sputtering Physical sputtering is driven by momentum exchange between the ions and atoms in the material, due to collisions. The incident ions set off collision cascades in the target. When such cascades recoil and reach the target surface with an energy above th… (More on Sputtering)