Journals

The evaporation of droplets in an arc plasma flow under the action of an electron beam injected into the arc plasma and the condition of direct heating of microdroplets by beam electrons are considered. Analytical modeling shows that droplets ≤1 μm in size can be completely evaporated over time scales typical for cathodic arc deposition systems. It is shown that small microdroplets evaporate more intensively. The lower limit working points in terms of plasma electron density, and the electron energy and density of the injected energetic electrons required for droplet evaporation are found.   

Iryna Litovko

In this article, we present a detailed characterisation of a multicusp-assisted inductively coupled RF plasma source for plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). Using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and RF-compensated Langmuir probe diagnostics, we measured ion temperature T i and drift velocity v z in argon plasmas near an immersed electrode. The multicusp configuration enhances plasma density at low pressure, enabling stable operation down to 0.8 mTorr. Timeaveraged measurements show no detectable perturbation near the pulsed electrode, indicating full plasma recovery between high-voltage pulses. LIF-derived potential profiles match Riemann's presheath theory, and ion velocity distributions reveal acceleration consistent with sheath dynamics. These results support the use of LIF for steady-state characterisation of the bulk and presheath regions in PIII systems.

Moreno Joel