Simple filtered repetitively pulsed vacuum arc plasma source.
A very simple design of cathodic filtered vacuum arc plasma source is proposed. The source without filter has only four components and none of them require precise machining. The source operates in a repetitively pulsed regime, and for laboratory experiments it can be used without water cooling. Despite the simple construction, the source provides high ion current at the filter outlet reaching 2.5% of 400 A arc current, revealing stable operation in a wide pressure range from high vacuum to oxygen pressure up to more than 10(-2) mbar. There is no need in complicated power supply system for this plasma source, only one power supply can be used to ignite the arc, to provide the current for the arc itself, to generate the magnetic field in the filter, and provide its positive electric biasing without any additional high power resistance.
Chekh
Yu
Y
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels 1050, Belgium. chekhyn@gmail.com
Zhirkov
I S
IS
Delplancke-Ogletree
M P
MP