Patent ID: 7866278

Claim:
A thin-film deposition system comprising: a vacuum chamber; and a plasma generator including a discharge chamber, a cathode disposed in the discharge chamber, an anode assembly disposed at an end of the discharge chamber, a first power supply for applying a discharge voltage between the cathode and the anode assembly, and means for supplying a discharge gas into the discharge chamber, wherein electrons within a first plasma produced in the discharge chamber are extracted into the vacuum chamber through the aperture of the anode assembly according to the discharge voltage, the vacuum chamber being located outside the discharge chamber, wherein an evaporable material that is at least in a gaseous state within the vacuum chamber is irradiated with electrons emitted from the plasma generator to produce a second plasma, thus forming a film on a substrate, and wherein there is further provided anode potential-controlling means for controlling the potential at the anode assembly such that the electrons within the second plasma are directed toward the plasma generator, whereby ions within the second plasma are directed at the substrate.