Title :
Measurements of the total ion flux from vacuum arc cathode spots
Author :
Anders, Andre ; Oks, Efim M. ; Yushkov, George Yu. ; Savkin, Konstantin P. ; Brown, Ian G. ; Nikolaev, Alexey G.
Author_Institution :
Lawrence Berkeley Nat. Lab., CA, USA
Abstract :
The ion current from different cathode materials was measured for 50-500 A of arc current. The ion current normalized by the arc current was found to depend on the cathode material, with values in the range from 5% to 19%. The normalized ion current was generally greater for elements of low cohesive energy. The ion erosion rates were determined from values of ion current and ion charge states, which were previously measured in the same ion source. The absolute ion erosion rates ranged from 16-173 μg/C.
Keywords :
plasma diagnostics; plasma sources; plasma transport processes; vacuum arcs; 50 to 500 A; arc current; cathode materials; cohesive energy; ion charge states; ion current; ion erosion; ion source; total ion flux measurements; vacuum arc cathode spots; Arc discharges; Cathodes; Charge measurement; Current measurement; Ion sources; Plasma density; Plasma measurements; Plasma properties; Plasma sources; Vacuum arcs; Cathodic vacuum arcs; ion current; ion erosion rates; ion flux;
Journal_Title :
Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TPS.2005.856502
