Physical vapor deposition with isotropic neutral and non-isotropic ion velocity distribution at the wafer surface

A method of performing physical vapor deposition on a workpiece in a reactor chamber, comprising:

• providing a target comprising a metallic element and having a surface facing the workpiece, and establishing a target-to-workpiece gap less than a fraction of a diameter of said workpiece, the space of said gap devoid of structural elements;
• introducing a carrier gas into the chamber;
• applying RF plasma source power from a VHF generator to said target to generate a capacitively coupled plasma at said target;
• extending said plasma across said gap to said workpiece by providing through said workpiece a first VHF ground return path at the frequency of said VHF generator;
• and
• maintaining a gas pressure in said chamber such that sufficient to establish a substantially isotropic distribution of neutral velocity and a distribution of ion velocity having a larger vertical component than horizontal component.