A sputter deposition system comprises a vacuum chamber including a vacuum pump for maintaining a vacuum in the vacuum chamber, a gas inlet for supplying process gases to the vacuum chamber, a sputter target and a substrate holder within the vacuum chamber, and a plasma source attached to the vacuum chamber and positioned remotely from the sputter target, the plasma source being configured to form a high density plasma beam extending into the vacuum chamber. The plasma source may include a rectangular cross-section source chamber, an electromagnet, and a radio frequency coil, wherein the rectangular cross-section source chamber and the radio frequency coil are configured to give the high density plasma beam an elongated ovate cross-section. Furthermore, the surface of the sputter target may be configured in a non-planar form to provide uniform plasma energy deposition into the target and/or uniform sputter deposition at the surface of a substrate on the substrate holder. The sputter deposition system may include a plasma spreading system for reshaping the high density plasma beam for complete and uniform coverage of the sputter target.