Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems
This article is a brief historical review of R&D carried out by the KIPT scientists in the field of magnetic filtering of vacuum-arc plasma flows to be applied in thin film deposition technology.
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Національний науковий центр «Харківський фізико-технічний інститут» НАН України
2002
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| Cite this: | Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems / I.I. Aksenov // Вопросы атомной науки и техники. — 2002. — № 5. — С. 139-141. — Бібліогр.: 26 назв. — англ. |
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Aksenov, I.I. 2015-03-30T09:23:13Z 2015-03-30T09:23:13Z 2002 Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems / I.I. Aksenov // Вопросы атомной науки и техники. — 2002. — № 5. — С. 139-141. — Бібліогр.: 26 назв. — англ. 1562-6016 PACS: 52.77.-j https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/79281 This article is a brief historical review of R&D carried out by the KIPT scientists in the field of magnetic filtering of vacuum-arc plasma flows to be applied in thin film deposition technology. en Національний науковий центр «Харківський фізико-технічний інститут» НАН України Вопросы атомной науки и техники Low temperature plasma and plasma technologies Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems Article published earlier |
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Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems |
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Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems Aksenov, I.I. Low temperature plasma and plasma technologies |
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Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems |
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Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems |
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Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems |
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Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems |
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magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems |
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Aksenov, I.I. |
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Aksenov, I.I. |
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Low temperature plasma and plasma technologies |
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Low temperature plasma and plasma technologies |
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Вопросы атомной науки и техники |
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This article is a brief historical review of R&D carried out by the KIPT scientists in the field of magnetic filtering of vacuum-arc plasma flows to be applied in thin film deposition technology.
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Magnetically filtered vacuum-arc plasma deposition systems / I.I. Aksenov // Вопросы атомной науки и техники. — 2002. — № 5. — С. 139-141. — Бібліогр.: 26 назв. — англ. |
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MAGNETICALLY FILTERED VACUUM-ARC PLASMA DEPOSITION
SYSTEMS
I.I. Aksenov
National Science Center “Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology”,
Akademicheskaya Str. 1, Kharkov 61108, Ukraine; phone: (0572) 356452,
e-mail: iaksenov@kipt.kharkov.ua
This article is a brief historical review of R&D carried out by the KIPT scientists in the field of magnetic filtering of
vacuum-arc plasma flows to be applied in thin film deposition technology.
PACS: 52.77.-j
In spite of that fact, that vacuum-arc coating deposi-
tion method is known from 1870’s [1,2] the process of its
industrialization started one century later, namely since
1970’s. At that time the group of Ukrainian researchers
began its regular investigation in d.c. vacuum arc dis-
charge: in Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology
(KIPT) there was developed vacuum-arc method of wear
resistant coating deposition based on nitrides of such met-
als as Ti, Mo, Zr. There were created also the first indus-
trial installations [3]. For a comparatively short time the
method have gained wide recognition in tool production.
However the presence of macroparticles (MPs) of cathode
material in vacuum-arc plasmas retards a wider applica-
tion of the method in such fields as optics, microelectron-
ics, precision mechanics, medicine.
The most effective approach to reduce the MPs con-
centration in erosion plasma flows is based on spatial sep-
aration of trajectories of MPs and ion species. This can be
most easily realized in the plasma source with magnetic
focusing of the plasma flow [4]. However, the MPs prob-
lem is most effectively solved with use of magnetic plas-
ma filters. The first magnetic filter was developed at the
KIPT in the mid 1970’s. In 1976 the application was reg-
istered for the invention of a plasma filter with a curvilin-
ear plasma duct bent as a quarter of torus, as well as with
S- and Ω-shaped plasma duct [5] (Fig.1). Having used
that filter the Kharkov group obtained the results that
stimulated the wide-scale researches in the field of vacu-
um-arc synthesis of amorphous carbon (or DLC) films
and other high-quality films in many countries of the
world.
In general terms, the mechanism of filtering plasma in
magnetic filters can be described as follows. Between the
substrate and the cathode there is a certain barrier in-
stalled (Fig.2) [6-8]. Baffles or the walls of the bent tube
(plasma duct) can serve as the barrier mentioned. In their
motion in straight lines the MPs are confronted by this
barrier and fail to arrive at the substrate, while the ion and
electron components of the plasma flow, owing to the
magnetic field of particular configuration, go round the
barrier and reach the substrate.
Due to rebound of MPs from the walls many of them
reach the filter exit and arrive at the substrate. So, the effi-
ciency of filtering is the higher, the longer is the plasma
guiding channel, the narrower is it, the greater is the angle
of the bend. However, in this case the losses of the plasma
flow transported increase, the productivity of the system
drops, its complexity and its cost is raised.
All attempts to simplify the systems enter in contra-
diction with requirements, the fulfillment of which is nec-
essary for an efficient filtering of plasma. Considerable
efforts were undertaken in many research centers to solve
this inconsistent problem. In the KIPT there were devel-
oped some versions of magnetic plasma filter over and
above those mentioned. The most of them were not pub-
lished due to confidentiality of their application in defense
industries. So, e. g., the filter with curved plasma duct of
so called opened architecture described in ref. [9] had
been developed in the mid 1980’s as the unite of the high
power set-up intended for high rate coating deposition by
the method of electron beam and cathodic vacuum-arc
evaporation of metals. But the short communication about
this device has been published by its authors just in 2001
[10]. The filters with S- and Ω-shaped plasma duct [5]
and the filtering plasma source comprising a cathode with
cylindrical lateral working surface (Fig.3) [11] were de-
veloped much earlier than their analogues described in
ref. [12] and [13] respectively.
Fig.1. Curvilinear-filter. Toroidal 900 (a), S-shaped (b)
and Ω-shaped plasma ducts
Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. 2002. № 5. Series: Plasma Physics (8). P. 139-141 139
(a)
(b) (c)
mailto:iaksenov@kipt.kharkov.ua
An attempt to solve the problem of large square sur-
faces treatment by macroparticles-free plasmas was un-
dertaken by Sablev et al. [14,15]. But they were failed us-
ing the systems in industrial application due to their com-
plexity and low degree of plasma filtering.
Fig. 2. Rectilinear plasma filters with magnetic “island”
(a) and passive flat screen (b)
Fig. 3. Filtered plasma source with “dome” type of the
magnetic system (prototype)
The existing methods of defining the plasma contami-
nation with MPs are based on counting the number of
MPs in coatings. So, the optimization of filters is rather
complicated challenge. The problem is simplified by
means of computation of MPs motion in a plasma duct of
filters. We solved the problem in two-dimensional ap-
proximation for axisymmetric and plane-symmetric sys-
tems [16]. The method is rather useful for the compara-
tive estimation of filtering properties of the system of dif-
ferent geometry. Besides, using this method it’s quite eas-
ily to find out that the use of long and narrow plasma
guiding ducts which have a lot of knees, is unadvisable
approach if MPs are in solid state. The success can be
achieved choosing appropriate systems of baffles (ribs)
and their arrangement inside the duct of simple shape
[17].
Another important characteristic of the filtering sys-
tem is its capacity. Analysis of plasma motion along a
toroidal magnetic field shows that for a successful plasma
travel the field intensity must be above 1 T. At this field
(i) it is impossible to provide a stable burning of the d.c.
arc discharge in the system and (ii) the plasma injection
into a field of such strength is practically impossible too.
Thus, it was reasonable to consider plasma motion in con-
dition of partly magnetized plasma [18]. In this case plas-
ma has a very high resistivity across the magnetic field
and very high conductivity along the field. Electrons
move along the central lines of magnetic field, crossing
the cathode. And ions follow the electrons to conserve
plasma quazineutrality. This model is based on the Moro-
zov’s plasma optics principles [19]. Later it was investi-
gated in details by Boercker et al. [20]. They showed that
this model, which is known as the “flux-tube model” is
quite useful for qualitative estimation of plasma motion in
curved duct, but it is much less advisable to be used for
quantitative calculation. There were developed more per-
fect theoretical models [21-23]. These models describe
mechanism of plasma losses caused by plasma diffusion
across magnetic fields. They predict displacements of
plasma flow due to gradient and centrifugal drift. But
these models are developed for ideal toroidal fields, so
they are quite useless in cases of distorted systems. Here
the drift shift of plasma flow may be directed toward the
side, which is not predicted by the theory. On the con-
trary, the very first model developed [18] explains these
phenomena quite simply: the plasma moves along the flux
of magnetic lines crossing the cathode active surface
where the plasma flow arises. So, one can direct the plas-
ma in any run choosing an appropriate geometry of mag-
netic lines. Thus, we have rather effective means, which
are very helpful and useful for optimizing and designing
magnetic plasma filters.
Fig. 4. Filtered plasma source with linear-to-radial
transformation of plasma flows. Schematic (a), magnetic
field configurations (b, c)
(a)
(b)
(c)
The development of high-efficiency plasma filter is
the key task for opening the way to a wide-scale applica-
tion of the vacuum-arc method for high technology prac-
tice. There are created a great number of original design
structures for to solve this problem [24]. However, none
of them so far has an appropriate efficiency. The plasma
throughput is not more then 25…50%. From this view-
point the recent developments of KIPT seam to be
promising. One of them is the system with radial flow of
filtered plasma [25] (Fig. 4). It comprises two similar vac-
uum-arc magnetic-focusing plasma sources. They ar-
ranged coaxially, facing each other. Axial flows of plas-
ma here are transformed into radial flow moving through
the annular gap between the anodes of the sources. The
gap is wide compared to the length of the plasma path to-
ward the exit. So, the diffusion to the walls across the
magnetic field is not intensive. The gradient and centrifu-
gal drifts in the annular gap are closed, so the plasma drift
losses are negligible. As a result the total losses are very
small. The transmittance is very high: plasma throughput
is about 90%. The system coefficient is about 8,5%. None
of other system has such a high characteristic. Besides,
the system with radial flow has a very large area of fil-
tered plasma flow cross section. It is very useful for rect-
angular variant of the system (Fig. 5). This version is sup-
posed to be used for deposition of coatings on flat sub-
strates of large area and also on web materials.
Fig. 5. Source of double filtered plasma flows
Another variant of plasma filtering system, which is
developed in KIPT recently, is the filter with an L-shaped
duct [26]. Its transportation efficiency is about 65%, i. e.
less than for previous “radial” variant. It is likely due to
the presence of gradient and centrifugal losses because of
the system is asymmetric. But 65% is much higher as
compared to convenient systems.
The L-shaped filter is used presently in industrial pro-
duction of storage system elements for deposition of ul-
tra-thin protecting DLC films. This is a promising step for
vacuum-arc method of coating deposition in high tech-
nologies application.
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141
I.I. Aksenov
Akademicheskaya Str. 1, Kharkov 61108, Ukraine; phone: (0572) 356452,
e-mail: iaksenov@kipt.kharkov.ua
References
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