TRANSPORT OF VACUUM-ARC PLASMAS THROUGH MAGNETIC MACROPARTICLE FILTERS

Vacuum arc plasma deposition combined with magnetic filtering of the p lasma to remove macroparticles is a promising technique for the produc tion of metallic, compound and hard amorphous carbon thin films. High efficiency of the magnetic filter is a crucial parameter for the appli cation of this technique. We report investigations of the influence of different filter designs, magnetic field configurations and electric potentials on the filter efficiency. We analyse the transport mechanis ms on which the flow of plasma through the filter is based, and descri be and discuss the occurrence of instabilities in magnetic filters. Wi th an optimum filter arrangement we were able to obtain a filter outpu t of 25% of the total number of ions produced by the vacuum arc discha rge.