We draw attention here to several important details of a discharge deposition apparatus, and to how these can affect him quality. In addressing why these details are important, we will suggest some reasons for how and why film quality depends on deposition conditions, and what might be done to improve both film quality and deposition rate. We concentrate on what appear to be three major causes of poor film quality: deposition of microparticulates, ion bombardment of the growing film surface, and growth by sticky radicals (radicals with a high sticking coefficient to the surface).