  The ion energies and fluxes in the high power impulse magnetron sputtering
plasma from a Nb target were analysed angularly resolved along the tangential
direction of the racetrack. A reactive oxygen-containing atmosphere was used as
such discharge conditions are typically employed for the synthesis of thin
films. Asymmetries in the flux distribution of the recorded ions as well as
their energies and charge states were noticed when varying the angle between
mass-energy analyser and target surface. More positively charged ions with
higher count rates in the medium energy range of their distributions were
detected in $+\mathbf{E}\times \mathbf{B}$ than in $-\mathbf{E}\times
\mathbf{B}$ direction, thus confirming the notion that ionisation zones (also
known as spokes or plasma bunches) are associated with moving potential humps.
The motion of the recorded negatively charged high-energy oxygen ions was
unaffected. NbO$_x$ thin films at different angles and positions were
synthesised and analysed as to their structure and properties in order to
correlate the observed plasma properties to the film growth conditions. The
chemical composition and the film thickness varied with changing deposition
angle, where the latter, similar to the ion fluxes, was higher in
$+\mathbf{E}\times \mathbf{B}$ than in $-\mathbf{E}\times \mathbf{B}$
direction.
