Recent advances in plasma processing at Illinois will be discussed. The first is the investigation of high-powered pulsed magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) by creating a hole in the target racetrack and placing a gridded energy analyzer and quartz-crystal monitor (QCM) behind it. In this way the metal ion and Ar ion flux can be measured, as well as the neutral metal atom flux. These measurements show the true mechanism behind the high surge in current during a HiPIMS pulse. The next subject is creating PVD-like coatings at atmospheric pressure. This is done by introducing atoms of the coating material directly into the plasma plume of an atmospheric-pressure torch either through laser ablation or by evaporation. These coatings have many industrial applications and since they can be made in the field instead of inside a vacuum chamber, their utility is increased and their cost reduced. Lastly, the use of a metal-surface-wave plasma source will be described. Low-damage crystalline and amorphous silicon can be produced with it leading to higher-efficiency solar cells and other applications.