This article deals with the application of cathodic sputtering to the production of atomic vapours in atomic spectroscopy. It discusses the physical process of sputtering in a low-pressure rare-gas discharge and its characteristics as a method of generating atomic vapours for almost any solid element, including the highly refractory metals. Applications in the areas of spectrochemical analysis, laser-induced fluorescence studies of atomic lifetimes, polarized fluorescence experiments, Doppler-free laser spectroscopy, and optogalvanic spectroscopy are reviewed.