ABSTRACT
Ion bombardment o f surfaces has been used in connection with thin film deposition for decades. The amount and type o f ion bombardment greatly influences film structure and composition; this, in turn, determines optical, mechanical and electrical properties of the film. The bombard ment can be achieved using a number o f techniques, some o f which are very simple. However, the highest degree o f control o f critical parameters (e.g., ion flux, energy, species, and angle o f incidence) is provided by broad-beam Kaufman ion sources. This is because the gas discharge of the ion source is separate and removed from the rest o f the deposition system. This is not the case with some other ion bombardment techniques used in film deposition. The discussion here is restricted to applications o f the broad-beam Kaufman ion source. For discussion o f other ion sources see Refs. 1-3.
