Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. An ion beam source system for processing a substrate along a substrate location, the ion beam source system comprising:an ion beam source generating an ion beam in an ion beam envelope; anda shield positioned between the ion beam source and the substrate location to pass the ion beam envelope in a line-of-sight to the substrate location while blocking sputtered contaminants emanating from the ion beam source and projecting outside the ion beam envelope from impinging the substrate. 2. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source includes a cathode and generates sputtering ions, the sputtering ions sputtering the sputtered contaminants from the cathode. 3. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion source includes an anode and generates sputtering ions, the sputtering ions sputtering the sputtered contaminants from the anode. 4. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the substrate location is defined for passing the substrate though the ion beam envelope. 5. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has a face and an ionization region, and the shield is positioned upright relative to the face of the ion beam source between long channels portions of the ionization region. 6. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has a face and the shield is affixed to the ion beam source and is positioned upright relative to the face of the ion beam source between long channel portions of an ionization region of the ion beam source. 7. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has a face and the shield is positioned upright relative to the face of the ion beam source along and outside a long channel portion of an ionization region of the ion beam source. 8. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has a face and the shield is affixed to the ion beam source and is positioned upright relative to the face of the ion beam source along and outside a long channel portion of an ionization region of the ion beam source. 9. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the substrate location is defined for passing the substrate through the ion beam envelope, and the shield is positioned adjacent to the substrate location to block the sputtered contaminants from impinging the substrate on at least a portion of the substrate location outside the ion beam envelope. 10. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has a face, the substrate location is defined for passing the substrate through the ion beam envelope, and the shield is positioned substantially parallel to the face of the ion beam source and adjacent to the substrate location to block the sputtered contaminants from impinging the substrate on at least a portion of the substrate location outside the ion beam envelope. 11. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source includes an ionization region and at least one end section containing an end portion of the ionization region, the shield blocking sputtered contaminants emanating from the end portion of the ionization region from impinging the substrate. 12. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the sputtered contaminants are sputtered from a surface of the ion beam source. 13. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted toward the substrate location and the emission face is parallel to a surface of the substrate. 14. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted in a normal direction from the emission face toward the substrate location and the emission face is parallel to a surface of the substrate. 15. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted in a non-normal direction from the emission face toward the substrate location and the emission face is parallel to a surface of the substrate. 16. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted toward the substrate location and the emission face is not parallel to a surface of the substrate. 17. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted in a normal direction from the emission face toward the substrate location and the emission face is not parallel to a surface of the substrate. 18. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted in a non-normal direction from the emission face toward the substrate location and the emission face is not parallel to a surface of the substrate. 19. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the shield is actively biased. 20. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the shield is actively biased to a positive potential. 21. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the shield is electrically isolated from the ion beam source. 22. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the shield comprises a process-compatible material. 23. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the shield comprises a contaminant-trapping material. 24. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam source has a face and wherein a distance between the ion beam source and the substrate location, in a direction perpendicular to the face of the ion beam source, is between 50 mm and 300 mm. 25. The ion beam source system of claim 1 wherein the ion beam projects divergently from the ion beam source. 26. A shielding system positionable between an ion beam source and a substrate location that passes an ion beam in an ion beam envelope from the ion beam source in a line-of-sight to impinge a substrate on the substrate location while blocking sputtered contaminants emanating from the ion beam source and projecting outside the ion beam envelope from impinging the substrate. 27. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the sputtered contaminants are sputtered from a cathode of the ion beam source. 28. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the sputtered contaminants are sputtered from an anode of the ion beam source. 29. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the substrate location is defined for passing the substrate through the ion beam. 30. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source includes a cathode and an ionization region that generates the ion beam and sputtering ions, and the sputtering ions sputter the sputtered contaminant from the cathode toward the substrate location. 31. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has a face and an ionization region, and the shielding system includes a shield positioned upright relative to the face of the ion beam source between long channel portions of the ionization region of the ion beam source. 32. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has a face and an ionization region, and the shielding system includes a shield affixed to the ion beam source and positioned upright relative to the face of the ion beam source between long channel portions of the ionization region of the ion beam source. 33. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has a face and an ionization region, and the shielding system includes a shield positioned upright relative to the ion beam source along and outside a long channel portion of the ionization region of the ion beam source. 34. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has a face and an ionization region, and the shielding system includes a shield affixed to the ion beam source and positioned upright relative to the ion beam source along and outside a long channel portion of the ionization region of the ion beam source. 35. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the substrate location is defined to pass the substrate though the ion beam envelope and the shielding system includes a shield positioned adjacent to the substrate location to block the sputtered contaminants from impinging the substrate on at least a portion of the substrate location outside the ion beam envelope. 36. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source includes an ionization region and at least one end section containing an end portion of the ionization region, and the shielding system includes an end shield to block sputtered contaminants emanating from the end portion of the ionization region from impinging the substrate. 37. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the sputtered contaminants are sputtered from a surface of the ion beam source. 38. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted toward the substrate location and the emission face is parallel to a surface of the substrate. 39. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted in a normal direction from the emission face toward the substrate location and the emission face is parallel to a surface of the substrate. 40. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted in a non-normal direction from the emission face toward the substrate location and the emission face is parallel to a surface of the substrate. 41. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted toward the substrate location and the emission face is not parallel to a surface of the substrate. 42. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted in a normal direction from the emission face toward the substrate location and the emission face is not parallel to a surface of the substrate. 43. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has an emission face from which the ion beam is emitted in a non-normal direction from the emission face toward the substrate location and the emission face is not parallel to a surface of the substrate. 44. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the shielding system is actively biased. 45. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the shielding system is actively biased to a positive potential. 46. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the shielding system is electrically isolated from the ion beam source. 47. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the shielding system comprises a process-compatible material. 48. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the shielding system comprises a contaminant-trapping material. 49. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam source has a face and wherein a distance between the ion beam source and the substrate location, in a direction perpendicular to the face of the ion beam source, is between 50 mm and 300 mm. 50. The shielding system of claim 26 wherein the ion beam projects divergently from the ion beam source.