Virtual shutter in ion beam system

A method of processing a substrate, the method comprising:

• placing the substrate on a wafer stage within a shutterless ion beam deposition system, the substrate having a top surface having a plurality of features, an edge and a bottom surface;
• igniting an energetic particle beam within the ion beam deposition system;
• tilting the wafer stage with the substrate to a hide position within the shutterless ion beam deposition system;
• focusing the energetic particle beam on a sputtering target;
• generating an energetic particle beam of sputtered material from the sputtering target using the energetic particle beam, said generation of the energetic particle beam of sputtered material occurring after the wafer has been tilted to the hide position;
• stabilizing said energetic particle beam of sputtered material and rotating the substrate on the wafe stage during stabilization while the substrate on the wafer stage is in the hide position within the shutterless ion beam deposition system;
• orienting the wafer stage with the substrate after the stabilizing step so that the plurality of features on the top surface of the substrate are exposed to the energetic particle beam of sputtered material;
• and
• exposing the plurality of features on the top surface of the substrate to the energetic particle beam of sputtered material in a treatment zone.