Ionized plasma vapor deposition and filtered arc deposition; processes, properties and applications

Recent innovations in vacuum are deposition have resulted in the developmen t of the filtered are source as a deposition tool for a range of technologi cally important materials. The vacuum arc was recognized early on as a pote ntially useful source of energetic, ionized material and a practical high r ate method for depositing thin films with bulk properties and the depositio n of new materials. The inherent problem of microdroplet contamination was overcome by several approaches, the toroidal magnetic duct being the most p revalent. The present state-of-the-art of filtered are deposition is discus sed in terms of the current understanding of the emitted fluxes, the proper ties of the materials deposited by these devices and new applications. (C) 1999 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-2101(99)01204-X].