Provided herein are deposition systems utilizing coated grids in an ion deposition process which provide more predictable erosion of the coating rather than erosion of the grid itself. Further, coatings may be utilized in which the coating material does not act as a contaminant to the deposition process, thereby eliminating contamination of the sample surface due to deposition of unwanted grid material. Also provided are methods of refurbishing a coated grid by periodically replacing the coating material thus protecting the grid itself and allowing a grid to be used indefinitely.

A method for manufacturing a sputtering target with which an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects can be formed is provided. Alternatively, an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects is formed. A method for manufacturing a sputtering target is provided, which includes the steps of: forming a polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide (M represents a metal chosen among aluminum, titanium, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, cesium, neodymium, and hafnium) powder by mixing, sintering, and grinding indium oxide, an oxide of the metal, and zinc oxide; forming a mixture by mixing the polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide powder and a zinc oxide powder; forming a compact by compacting the mixture; and sintering the compact.

Nanoclusters are produced in a gas phase using a nanocluster manufacturing section including: a vacuum container; a sputtering source that has a target as a cathode, performs magnetron sputtering by pulse discharge, and generates plasma; a pulse power source that supplies pulsed power to the sputtering source; a first inert gas supply section that supplies a first inert gas to the sputtering source; a nanocluster growth cell that is contained in the vacuum container; and a second inert gas introduction section that introduces a second inert gas into the nanocluster growth cell. A multitude of supports are rolled in the gas phase and each of the supports is sprinkled with a multitude of nanoclusters to cause each support to support the multitude of nanoclusters.

To provide an ion gun of a penning discharge type capable of achieving a milling rate which is remarkably higher than that in the related art, an ion milling device including the same, and an ion milling method.

An ion generation unit includes a cathode that emits electrons, an anode that is provided within the ion generation unit and has an inner diameter of 5.2 mm or less, and magnetic-field generation means using a permanent magnet of which a maximum energy product ranges from 110 kJ/m.sup.3 to 191 kJ/m.sup.3.

Methods and systems for depositing a thin film are disclosed. The methods and systems can be used to deposit a film having a uniform thickness on a substrate surface that has a non-planar three-dimensional geometry, such as a curved surface. The methods involve the use of a deposition source that has a shape in accordance with the non-planar three-dimensional geometry of the substrate surface. In some embodiments, multiple layers of films are deposited onto each other forming multi-layered coatings. In some embodiments, the multi-layered coatings are antireflective (AR) coatings for windows or lenses.

In various embodiments, eroded sputtering targets are partially refurbished by spray-depositing particles of target material to at least partially fill certain regions (e.g., regions of deepest erosion) without spray-deposition within other eroded regions (e.g., regions of less erosion). The partially refurbished sputtering targets may be sputtered after the partial refurbishment without substantive changes in sputtering properties (e.g., sputtering rate) and/or properties of the sputtered films.

In various embodiments, eroded sputtering targets are partially refurbished by spray-depositing particles of target material to at least partially fill certain regions (e.g., regions of deepest erosion) without spray-deposition within other eroded regions (e.g., regions of less erosion). The partially refurbished sputtering targets may be sputtered after the partial refurbishment without substantive changes in sputtering properties (e.g., sputtering rate) and/or properties of the sputtered films.

In various embodiments, eroded sputtering targets are partially refurbished by spray-depositing particles of target material to at least partially fill certain regions (e.g., regions of deepest erosion) without spray-deposition within other eroded regions (e.g., regions of less erosion). The partially refurbished sputtering targets may be sputtered after the partial refurbishment without substantive changes in sputtering properties (e.g., sputtering rate) and/or properties of the sputtered films.

A method for manufacturing a sputtering target with which an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects can be formed is provided. Alternatively, an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects is formed. A method for manufacturing a sputtering target is provided, which includes the steps of: forming a polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide (M represents a metal chosen among aluminum, titanium, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, cesium, neodymium, and hafnium) powder by mixing, sintering, and grinding indium oxide, an oxide of the metal, and zinc oxide; forming a mixture by mixing the polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide powder and a zinc oxide powder; forming a compact by compacting the mixture; and sintering the compact.

A method for manufacturing a sputtering target with which an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects can be formed is provided. Alternatively, an oxide semiconductor film with a small amount of defects is formed. A method for manufacturing a sputtering target is provided, which includes the steps of: forming a polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide (M represents a metal chosen among aluminum, titanium, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, cesium, neodymium, and hafnium) powder by mixing, sintering, and grinding indium oxide, an oxide of the metal, and zinc oxide; forming a mixture by mixing the polycrystalline In-M-Zn oxide powder and a zinc oxide powder; forming a compact by compacting the mixture; and sintering the compact.