US Patent 7504008 Refurbishment of sputtering targets

In a method of refurbishing a deposition target, a surface of the target is provided in a process zone. An electrical arc is generated in the process zone, and a consumable metal wire is inserted into the process zone to form liquefied metal. A pressurized gas is injected into the process zone to direct the liquefied metal toward the surface of the target to splatter the liquefied metal on the surface, thereby forming a coating having the metal on at least a portion of the surface of the target that exhibits reduced contamination from the environment.