A coating system comprising: a vacuum chamber; and a coating assembly including: a vapor source having a target face with a vapor source long dimension and a vapor source short dimension; a substrate holder to hold substrates to be coated such that the substrates are positioned in front of the vapor source, the substrate holder having a linear holder dimension; a remote anode electrically coupled to the cathode target, the remote anode having a linear remote anode dimension, the vapor source having a linear vapor source dimension; a cathode chamber assembly including a cathode target, a primary anode and a shield which isolates the cathode target from the vacuum chamber, the cathode target having a linear cathode target long dimension and a linear cathode target short dimension, the shield defining at least one opening for transmitting an electron emission current of a remote arc discharge from the cathode target to the remote anode that streams along the target face long dimension; a primary power supply connected between the cathode target and the primary anode; and a secondary power supply connected between the cathode target and the remote anode, wherein the linear remote anode dimension and the vapor source short dimension are parallel to a dimension in which an arc spot is steered along the cathode target. a vacuum chamber; and a coating assembly including: a vapor source having a target face with a vapor source long dimension and a vapor source short dimension; a substrate holder to hold substrates to be coated such that the substrates are positioned in front of the vapor source, the substrate holder having a linear holder dimension; a remote anode electrically coupled to the cathode target, the remote anode having a linear remote anode dimension, the vapor source having a linear vapor source dimension; a cathode chamber assembly including a cathode target, a primary anode and a shield which isolates the cathode target from the vacuum chamber, the cathode target having a linear cathode target long dimension and a linear cathode target short dimension, the shield defining at least one opening for transmitting an electron emission current of a remote arc discharge from the cathode target to the remote anode that streams along the target face long dimension; a primary power supply connected between the cathode target and the primary anode; and a secondary power supply connected between the cathode target and the remote anode, wherein the linear remote anode dimension and the vapor source short dimension are parallel to a dimension in which an arc spot is steered along the cathode target. a vapor source having a target face with a vapor source long dimension and a vapor source short dimension; a substrate holder to hold substrates to be coated such that the substrates are positioned in front of the vapor source, the substrate holder having a linear holder dimension; a remote anode electrically coupled to the cathode target, the remote anode having a linear remote anode dimension, the vapor source having a linear vapor source dimension; a cathode chamber assembly including a cathode target, a primary anode and a shield which isolates the cathode target from the vacuum chamber, the cathode target having a linear cathode target long dimension and a linear cathode target short dimension, the shield defining at least one opening for transmitting an electron emission current of a remote arc discharge from the cathode target to the remote anode that streams along the target face long dimension; a primary power supply connected between the cathode target and the primary anode; and a secondary power supply connected between the cathode target and the remote anode, wherein the linear remote anode dimension and the vapor source short dimension are parallel to a dimension in which an arc spot is steered along the cathode target.