Cathode erosion and carbon-nanotubed droplet in t-shape filtered arc deposition with various carbon cathodes

16 commercially available cathode materials, sorted as carbon cathode and additive-containing carbon cathode, were tested in the T-FAD system. Their performances on the viewpoints of energy consumption, diamond-like carbon (DLC) deposition, and the droplet emission were evaluated by measuring arc voltage, cathode erosion rate, deposition rate of DLC, and emission rate of droplets during the process. As the results, the low resistivity and easy evaporated cathode materials contributed to the reduction of the arc voltage; highly crystallized graphite cathodes were preferred for the efficient deposition of DLC; and the droplet emission was proportional to the erosion rate of the additive-containing cathodes. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were found in the droplets, which indicated that this process is possible to be optimized for the MWCNT production.