In this review, we have chosen to focus on the differences in process conditions as well as resulting thin film characteristics between HiPIMS and commonly used industrial PVD techniques, such as direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS), radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering, and cathodic arc evaporation. The aim has been to provide a good introduction to this novel technique for PVD process engineers and researchers on thin films,who are familiar with the sputtering basics, without any claims on completely covering the whole field of HiPIMS.More details on the fundamentals and applications of
HiPIMS can be found in the review articles by Helmersson et al.Sarakinos et al.and Anders.Furthermore, it should also be brought to the readers’ attention that parts
of the current review concerning thin film processing are based on a recent review paper by Sarakinos et al. Moreover, in this work, much attention has been paid to different industrially relevant material systems owing to the fact that they are after all the ultimate goal of any thin film deposition process.