Abstract
In an RF-sputtering unit, with suspended substrates mounted in lieu of a target, sputter-etching of the substrates and consecutive vapor deposition of Au is performed in order to achieve good adhesion of the Au-film without an adhesion layer. The method has been applied for surface-acoustic-wave filters on piezo ceramics and for noise measurements in Au-films on sapphire. The sputter-cleaning as described also reduces the disturbing contact resistance between the conductive Cr-Au-layers and the previously sputtered Ta-film.Considerable progress has also been made in the manufacture of thin-film transistors by photolithography, chemical etching, and sputter-etching instead of using evaporation masks.