This paper presents a modification to conventional magnetron sputtering systems. The introduction of a grid in front of the target increases the metal ion ratio. Using OES and observing both Ti neutrals and ions, it was confirmed that the relative ionization could be qualitatively extended with grid-attached magnetron sputtering compared with a conventional magnetron system. On the other hand, the relative ionization of Ar decreased. Our results also show that the Ti films deposited by conventional magnetron exhibit (100) preferred orientation as the bias voltage increased. On the other hand, in the case of the grid-attached magnetron, the Ti films exhibit highly preferred (002) orientation with increasing bias voltage. The experiments clearly demonstrated that a dense Ti film with a smooth, specular reflecting surface can be produced using the grid-attached magnetron with increased Ti ion flux compared to the conventional magnetron. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.