Abstract: An ion source is configured to form an ion beam and has an arc chamber enclosing an arc chamber environment. A reservoir apparatus can be configured as a repeller and provides a liquid metal to the arc chamber environment. A biasing power supply electrically biases the reservoir apparatus with respect to the arc chamber to vaporize the liquid metal to form a plasma in the arc chamber environment. The reservoir apparatus has a cup and cap defining a reservoir environment for the liquid metal that is fluidly coupled to the arc chamber environment by holes in the cap. Features extend from the cup into the reservoir and contact the liquid metal to feed the liquid metal toward the arc chamber environment by capillary action. A structure, surface area, roughness, and material modifies the capillary action. The feature can be an annular ring, rod, or tube extending into the liquid metal.

Abstract: An ion source is configured to form an ion beam and has an arc chamber enclosing an arc chamber environment. A reservoir apparatus can be configured as a repeller and provides a liquid metal to the arc chamber environment. A biasing power supply electrically biases the reservoir apparatus with respect to the arc chamber to vaporize the liquid metal to form a plasma in the arc chamber environment. The reservoir apparatus has a cup and cap defining a reservoir environment for the liquid metal that is fluidly coupled to the arc chamber environment by holes in the cap. Features extend from the cup into the reservoir and contact the liquid metal to feed the liquid metal toward the arc chamber environment by capillary action. A structure, surface area, roughness, and material modifies the capillary action. The feature can be an annular ring, rod, or tube extending into the liquid metal.

Abstract: A method of controlling the crystal orientation dependent properties, such as residual stress, barrier layer effectiveness and resistivity, of reactively sputtered films such as titanium nitride, provide a method of optimizing the design parameters of the deposition apparatus and a method of utilizing the apparatus to produce coated Wafers. A sputtering target is maintained spaced from a wafer with a rotating magnetic field produced by a magnet rotating behind the target. An auxiliary magnet is provided at the wafer to unbalance the target magnetic field and allow ion flux from the plasma to reach the substrate. A film is deposited and the properties of the resulting film measured, particularly, in the case of titanium nitride deposition, the ratio of <200> to <111> crystal orientation, as well as the ratio uniformity. The auxiliary magnet configuration and target to wafer spacing are varied and the ratio remeasured.