A method may include providing a surface feature on a substrate, the surface feature comprising a feature shape a feature location, and a dimension along a first direction within a substrate plane; depositing a layer comprising a layer material on the surface feature; and directing ions in an ion exposure at an angle of incidence toward the substrate, the angle of incidence forming a non-zero angle with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane, wherein the ion exposure comprises the ions and reactive neutral species, the ion exposure reactively etching the layer material, wherein the ions impact a first portion of the surface feature and do not impact a second portion of the surface feature, and wherein an altered surface feature is generated, the altered surface feature differing from the surface feature in at least one of: the dimension along the first direction, the feature shape, or the feature location.

A holder for securing at least one rod-shaped substrate body having a variable cross-section along the substrate body has a substrate body region BQ1 comprising a surface to be treated. The holder comprises at least one perforated wall as the front wall, the wall having at least one opening, and also comprises a support element and a retaining element. The support element is constructed and/or secured in the opening in such a way that at least part of the substrate body can be arranged longitudinally and obliquely in the support element and the retaining element is constructed and/or secured in the opening in such a way that the retaining element can retain the substrate body at a point between the region BQ1 and the remainder of the substrate body such that the region BQ1 protrudes from the holder through the opening.

A method of plasma etching one or more features in a silicon substrate includes performing a main etch using a cyclical etch process in which a deposition step and an etch step are alternately repeated, and performing an over etch to complete the plasma etching of the features. The over etch includes one or more etch steps of a first kind and one or more etch steps of a second kind, each of the etch steps of the first and second kind include etching by ion bombardment of the silicon substrate. The ion bombardment during the one or more etch steps of the second kind has an inward inclination with respect to ion bombardment during the one or more etch steps of the first kind.

In some implementations described herein, a collimator that is biasable is provided. The ability to bias the collimator allows control of the electric field through which the sputter species pass. In some implementations of the present disclosure, a collimator that has a high effective aspect ratio while maintaining a low aspect ratio along the periphery of the collimator of the hexagonal array of the collimator is provided. In some implementations, a collimator with a steep entry edge in the hexagonal array is provided. It has been found that use of a steep entry edge in the collimator reduces deposition overhang and clogging of the cells of the hexagonal array. These various features lead to improve film uniformity and extend the life of the collimator and process kit.

Methods for producing flexible circuits can include creating treating a surface of the flexible circuit with at least one of an atmospheric plasma and a beam of ions. The atmospheric plasma is formed by directing a flow of gas between an electrode and the surface of the flexible circuit and generating a voltage between the electrode and the flexible circuit to create a plasma from the gas. A mean ion energy of the ions in the ion beam ranges from about 500 electron volts to about 1,500 electron volts.

An installation, comprising a chamber comprising two ends, a transport unit and a support unit which introduce a two-sided substrate into the chamber, a stabilized high-voltage high-frequency power supply of at least 200 kW, comprising an HF transformer comprising a primary and a secondary circuit connected to terminals, at least two electrodes being connected to the terminals of the secondary circuit, said electrodes being placed on each side of the substrate, at least one dielectric barrier placed between the at least two electrodes; a power supply regulation/control unit placed upstream of the HF transformer that is capable of increasing an active power/reactive power ratio, an introducing unit for introducing at least one reactive substance into the chamber, and an extracting unit for extracting residual substances, wherein an adjustable inductor is placed in the secondary circuit of the transformer in parallel with a circuit comprising the at least two electrodes, and the adjustable inductor enables a phase shift between a voltage generated between the electrodes and a total current delivered by the high-voltage source to be modulated, and the power supply regulation/control unit, placed on the primary circuit of the transformer, and/or a unit for controlling the inductor being capable of generating harmonics extending a time during which a current flows between the electrodes, wherein the installation is suitable for depositing a film onto an inorganic substrate.

A system for treating an object with plasma includes a vacuum processing chamber having a holder on which the object to be treated is placed, at least two subassemblies each including at least one plasma source able to generate a plasma and being supplied with radio-frequency power Pi and with a gas i of independent flow rate ni. The plasma generated by one of the subassemblies is a partially ionized gas or gas mixture of different chemical nature from the plasma generated by the other subassembly or subassemblies. A process for selectively treating a composite object employing such a device is described.

A chemical vapor deposition source that includes at least one plate to which first and second electrical connection posts are coupled. The chemical vapor deposition source also includes a filament having a first end and a second end. The first end of the filament is electrically connected to the first electrical connection post and the second end of the filament is electrically connected to the second electrical connection post. The chemical vapor deposition source further includes at least one filament holder electrically insulated from the at least one plate. The at least one filament holder holds a portion of the filament between the first end and the second end.

A method may include providing a surface feature on a substrate, the surface feature comprising a feature shape a feature location, and a dimension along a first direction within a substrate plane; depositing a layer comprising a layer material on the surface feature; and directing ions in an ion exposure at an angle of incidence toward the substrate, the angle of incidence forming a non-zero angle with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane, wherein the ion exposure comprises the ions and reactive neutral species, the ion exposure reactively etching the layer material, wherein the ions impact a first portion of the surface feature and do not impact a second portion of the surface feature, and wherein an altered surface feature is generated, the altered surface feature differing from the surface feature in at least one of: the dimension along the first direction, the feature shape, or the feature location.

An apparatus for plasma treatment of an implant prior to installing the implant in a live subject is provided. The apparatus comprises an activation device and a portable container detachable from the activation device. The portable container comprises a closed compartment containing the implant immersed in a fluid, and the activation device comprises a slot configured to receive the portable container. The activation device further comprises an electrical circuit configured to be electrically associated with at least one electrode and configured to provide to the at least one electrode electric power suitable for applying a plasma generating electric field in the closed compartment, when the portable container is disposed in the slot. A container suitable for providing plasma treatment to a silicone implant and a method for preparing an implant for implantation surgery are also provided.