Abstract Reactive sputtering using a medium frequency (MF) dual magnetron source is an advanced technique widely employed in various thin film deposition applications. For the production of high‐quality optical filters based on oxides with low losses, it is crucial to exclude any form of arcing, including both strong arcs and microarcs. These requirements are solved by plasmaassisted reactive magnetron sputtering (PARMS), which also provides a high deposition rate contributing to the economically efficient production of high‐end optical filters.