A broad beam plasma or ion source is provided, which includes an anode pole extending beyond the top surface of the cathode. A further aspect of a broad ion source includes magnets and magnetic shunts which create convex magnetic flux across and above the anode pole, which intercepts a significant portion of the magnetic flux. In another aspect, a broad beam ion source includes a magnetic surrounding cathode that prevents the magnetic flux from leaking out of the ion source. A further aspect provides a broad beam plasma source which is excited by combined DC and RF powers to create ions and reactive species to interact with specimen. Yet in a further aspect, a broad beam ion source operates simultaneously with another deposition source at the same internal pressure in a vacuum chamber for making high-quality thin films.

A sputter deposition source for depositing a material on a substrate is described. The sputter deposition source includes an array of magnetron sputter cathodes arranged in a row for coating the substrate in a deposition area on a front side of the array. At least one magnetron sputter cathode of the array includes a first rotary target rotatable around a first rotation axis (A1); and a first magnet assembly arranged in the first rotary target and configured to provide a closed plasma racetrack (P) on a surface of the first rotary target that extends along the first rotation axis (A1) on a first side and on a second side of the at least one magnetron sputter cathode. Further described is a magnetron sputter cathode for a sputter deposition source and a method of depositing a material on a substrate.