40 Jahre industrielles Magnetron‐Sputtern in Europa

40 Years of Industrial Magnetron Sputtering In October 1974, the first magnetron discharge assisted by a ring gap magnet was carried out successfully at the former Manfred von Ardenne Research Institute (IvA). Similar developments were made in several countries in Europe and the US at that time. Inspired by the 40th anniversary, this article provides a brief survey of the history of magnetron sputtering and the driving factors behind the development of the sputtering technique into a reliable industrial process. Even if this development was also influenced by a major success in the US, the author focuses chiefly on developments in Europe. It also illustrates the progress of magnetron sputtering technology from small circular sputtering sources to industrially proven tools for large‐area coating solutions.