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The deposition of optical precision coatings on glass by magnetron sputtering is still a challenging problem regarding particle density and long term stability of coating plants due to target material erosion. A novel approach to increase process stability and reduce drifts is the usage of cylindrical cathodes. These cathodes allow a particle free deposition process as they have virtually no redeposition zones that can lead to destruction of coatings by arcing caused by surface charges. In the present paper optical single layers as well as multilayer coatings were sputtered by means of reactive magnetron sputtering using a double cylindrical cathode setup. The particle density is determined and compared to particles produced with planar magnetrons. A new sputter coater concept will be presented wherein the magnetrons are attached to a rotating disc coater in a sputter-up configuration. The process was stabilized by means of oxygen partial pressure control. Preliminary optical properties as well as deposition rates of different oxide films will be presented

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Cylindrical targets give the opportunity to improve the process stability of magnetron sputtering processes although reactive deposition might be a challenge. Sputtering from metal doped oxide targets in connection with a plasma source unlocks the full potential: the process can be driven in well-known mid-frequency mode and the plasma source ensures fully stoichiometric films with low loss. During the last years different developments for oxide cylindrical targets were done. The suitable composition has to be found regarding e.g. the density and an arc-free process as familiar for planar targets. In the tube geometry new manufacturing methods are required that ensure these properties. In the present paper we show some examples of the high refractive index materials tantalum oxide: single film characterization as well as realized complex precision optical filters. The results are accompanied by performance measurements in terms of uniformity over 200 mm glass wavers as well as carrier to carrier and batch to batch. These were measured by the position of a quarter-wave stack's edge