Abstract: Wafer carrier arranged to hold a plurality wafers and to inject a fill gas into gaps between the wafers and the wafer carrier for enhanced heat transfer and to promote uniform temperature of the wafers. The apparatus is arranged to vary the composition, flow rate, or both of the fill gas so as to counteract undesired patterns of temperature non-uniformity of the wafers. In various embodiments, the wafer carrier utilizes at least one plenum structure contained within the wafer carrier to source a plurality of weep holes for passing a fill gas into the wafer retention pockets of the wafer carrier. The plenum(s) promote the uniformity of the flow, thus providing efficient heat transfer and enhanced uniformity of wafer temperatures.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for processing a substrate with an energetic particle beam. Features on the substrate are oriented relative to the energetic particle beam and the substrate is scanned through the energetic particle beam. The substrate is periodically indexed about its azimuthal axis of symmetry, while shielded from exposure to the energetic particle beam, to reorient the features relative to the major dimension of the beam.

Abstract: The present invention provides electrical contact assemblies can be used with vacuum deposition sources. In one exemplary application, the electrical contact assemblies of the present invention provide electrical contact to an arcuate or otherwise curved surface of a heating device used with a vacuum deposition source.

Abstract: The presently disclosed technology uses dissociated fluorine and one or both of hydrogen and oxygen to assist the deposition of metal-fluoride thin films having low optical losses using ion sputter deposition. The dissociated fluorine and one or both of hydrogen and oxygen are injected into an enclosure within which the sputter deposition operations occur. The dissociated fluorine and one or both of hydrogen and oxygen assist the sputtering of metal-fluoride material from a target and/or deposition of the sputtered metal-fluoride on one or more substrates.

Abstract: A grid assembly coupled to a discharge chamber of an ion beam source is configured for steering ion beamlets emitted from the discharge chamber at circularly asymmetrically determined steering angles. The grid assembly includes at least first and a second grid with a substantially circular pattern of holes, wherein each grid comprises holes positioned adjacent to one another. A plurality of the holes of the second grid is positioned with offsets relative to corresponding holes in the first grid. Due to the offsets in the holes in the second grid, ions passing through the offset holes are electrostatically attracted towards the closest circumferential portion of the downstream offset holes. Thus, the trajectories of ions passing through the offset holes are altered. The beamlet is steered by predetermined asymmetric angles. The predetermined steering angles are dependent upon the hole offsets, voltage applied to the grids, and the distance between the grids.