Temporal Evolution and Operation Peculiarities of Plasma Source Based on Vacuum Arc with CeO2 Cathode

• Published in: Plasma chemistry and plasma processing 2023, Vol.43 (1), p.347-360
• Main Authors: Melnikov, A. D., Usmanov, R. A., Gavrikov, A. V., Polistchook, V. P., Antonov, N. N., Samoylov, I. S., Smirnov, V. P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arc discharges; Cerium oxides; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Classical Mechanics; Composition; Crucibles; Electric arcs; Evolution; Hot cathodes; Inorganic Chemistry; Ions; Mechanical Engineering; Original Paper; Parameters; Plasma
• ISSN: 0272-4324; 1572-8986
• DOI: 10.1007/s11090-022-10284-w

This paper presents the results of an investigation of the temporal evolution of vacuum arc discharge with a hot ceramic cathode (CeO 2 ) and the ionic composition of the generated plasma. A vacuum arc discharge with a hot cathode is a high-performance plasma source that can generate plasma of almost any material or their mixture. The temporal evolution of the discharge voltage and the ionic composition of the plasma were studied, and the time for stable source operation was established. The dependence of the plasma ionic composition on the discharge current (40–90 A) and the crucible temperature (2200–2300 K) was also investigated. A significant influence of the crucible material in which the consumable cathode was placed on the discharge parameters was revealed. The effect of switching between the cathodic spot and the diffuse modes with varying of the parameters of the vacuum arc was discovered, and the predominance of the diffuse mode was determined. The results obtained can be useful both in the development of plasma sources for ceramic materials and in the enhancement of theoretical models of processes near the cathode in vacuum arcs.