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_Phys. Rev. Lett._ 102, 045003 (2009) Sputtering, a common industrial method for coating surfaces, uses ions in a gas to knock metal atoms from a solid that then fly off to coat a target in
a thin film. 'Self-sputtering' is a way to coat targets without the presence of a gas; at higher voltages some of the metal atoms are themselves ionized and return to their solid
source, where they dislodge yet more metal atoms. Now Joakim Andersson and André Anders of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California have created a sort of runaway self-sputtering.
It uses pulses of extremely high voltage to make the ion current of the metal atoms exceed the applied electric current. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE
CITE THIS ARTICLE Materials science: Better coats. _Nature_ 457, 1061 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/4571061b Download citation * Published: 25 February 2009 * Issue Date: 26 February 2009
* DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/4571061b SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not
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