NOVELTY - A method comprises: (a) providing a substrate having a surface region and a thickness; (b) generating a beam of accelerated particles; (c) scanning the beam in two dimensions over the surface region to form a cleave region beneath the surface region and defining a thickness of material to be detached; (d) during the scanning, moving the substrate to alter an effective angle between the beam and a plane of the surface of the substrate; and (e) freeing the thickness of material to be detached from the substrate using a controlled cleaving process.    USE - The method, apparatus, and system are useful for manufacturing a film from a bulk substrate, manufacturing a free-standing film from a bulk substrate, and fabricating a photovoltaic cell (all claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The method uses a linear accelerator process for the manufacture of thick free standing semiconductor films for a variety of applications.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) an apparatus comprising: (a) a particle accelerator comprising an ion source and a transport section configured to output an accelerated particle beam; (b) a scanning device configured to scan the accelerated particle beam in two dimensions; and (c) an end station configured to support a substrate in a vacuum with a surface region of the substrate exposed to the scanned accelerated particle beam, where the end station is configured to impart a dithering motion to the substrate during the exposure;    (2) a system for manufacturing a film from a bulk substrate comprising: (a) a pedestal configured to receive a bottom surface of a bulk substrate having an exposed top surface; (b) a platen configured to secure the pedestal utilizing a clamp device; (c) an implant subsystem configured to introduce a particle beam into the exposed top surface; and (d) a controller coupled at least to the implant subsystem and to the clamp device, where the controller is configured to send one or more automation signals to spatially adjust a position of the pedestal relative to the implant subsystem, to ensure a desired orientation of the top surface relative to the particle beam during an implantation process;    (3) a method for manufacturing a free-standing film from a bulk substrate comprising: (a) providing a pedestal bonded to a bottom surface of a bulk substrate having an exposed top surface; (b) providing a platen moveably disposed relative to a mechanical element; (c) clamping the pedestal to the platen with a clamp device; (d) causing a particle accelerator to introduce a particle beam into the exposed top surface to form a cleave region; and (e) performing a controlled cleaving process along the cleave region to separate a film of material from the bulk substrate; and    (4) a method of fabricating a photovoltaic cell comprising: (a) providing semiconductor substrates, each semiconductor substrate including an exposed surface and a lattice comprising primary crystal planes; (b) scanning a beam of accelerated particles in a fan shape over the substrates at a range of angles relative to the exposed surfaces, so that at points of impingement of the beam on the exposed surfaces, the primary crystal planes are misaligned with the beam; (c) forming a thickness of semiconductor material by cleaving the semiconductor substrate along a cleave region resulting from implantation of the accelerated particles; and (d) incorporating the thickness of material into a photovoltaic cell.