Means for controlled deposition and growth of polycrystalline films in a vacuum

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE DEPOSITION OF A THIN FILM ON A SUBSTRATE WITHIN A VACUUM CHAMBER, COMPRISING: A SOURCE OF MATERIAL TO BE DEPOSITED ON SAID SUBSTRATE; HEATING MEANS AND AN IONIZING ELEMENT ADJACENT SAID SOURCE OF MATERIAL FOR CONVERTING SAID SOURCE MATERIAL INTO A PLASMA HAVING AN IONIZED STATE; A FIRST SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID IONIZING ELEMENT AND SAID SOURCE OF MATERIAL, AND HAVING A POTENTIAL BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND IONIZATION LEVELS OF SAID MATERIAL AND HAVING AN APPROPRIATE POLARITY TO CAUSE VAPORIZED ATOMS OF SAID MATERIAL TO BE IONIZED TO THE FIRST IONIZATION LEVEL; CONDUCTIVE CHARGING MEANS SPACED FROM SAID IONIZING ELEMENT AND BEYOND SAID SUBSTRATE; A SECOND SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CONDUCTIVE CHARGING MEANS AND SAID IONIZING ELEMENT, AND HAVING A POLARITY WHICH WILL ATTRACT THE IONS FROM SAID IONIZING MEANS TOWARD SAID CHARGING MEANS WHEREBY SAID SUBSTRATE WILL COLLECT AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE ATTRACTED IONS; AND A MAGNETOSTATIC FIELD GENERATING MEANS FOR CAUSING MAGNETIC LINES TO FLUX TO BE DISPOSED AT SAID SUBSTRATE FOR CAUSING DEPOSITED ATOMS OF SAID MATERIAL TO CRYSTALLIZE IN A PREFERRED ORIENTATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AND SAID SUBSTRATE.