Imaging of the anode plasma plume development in a hot refractory anode vacuum arc

摘要

The hot refractory anode vacuum arc (HRAVA) is a plasma source where the source of the plasma flux is re-evaporation from the surface of a refractory anode of material originally emitted from the cathode. This plasma is used to deposit metallic films with small macroparticle contamination. Photographs of different stages of the development of the HRAVA are presented, allowing tracing of the details the development and giving characteristic times of the HRAVA development.