Deposition of copper coatings in a magnetron with liquid target

Copper coatings were deposited on monocrystalline Si substrates using a magnetron discharge with a liquid cathode in the metal vapour plasma. During the deposition, the bias voltage in the range from 0 V to–400 V was applied to the substrate. The prepared films were investigated by a scanning electron microscope, and their adhesive properties were studied using a scratch tester. It was demonstrated that the adhesion of the deposited films strongly depends on the bias voltage and varies in a wide range.

     

Discharge Characteristics of the Penning Plasma Source

The results of investigation of discharge characteristics of the Penning plasma source are presented. Volt-ampere characteristics (VAC), energy distribution, and mass-charge composition of ions emitted from the discharge under different modes of its combustion were measured. The connection between the discharge current bursts and increase in the potential drop (up to 50% of the anode voltage) is established. The measured VACs agree well with the theoretical dependencies. It is shown that the content of atomic hydrogen ions increases from 5 to 10% with an increase in the anode voltage from 1 to 3.5 kV and the power applied in the discharge (from 0.2 to 3 W).     

Corpuscular Diagnosis of the Plasma of Penning Ion Sources

The results of the studies of the energy distribution and atomic-molecular composition of the ions emitted from two Penning ion sources are presented. The transitions between different discharge modes, when the operating pressure and voltage on the anode are changed, are investigated. The energy spectra and mass-charge spectra are measured and the dependences of the fraction of atomic ions on the discharge parameters are determined.     

Synthesis of Nano-Crystalline Graphite Films in Hollow Cathode Discharge

The results of experiments on the production of nano-crystalline graphite films in the hollow cathode discharge on Ni(111)/sapphire substrate are presented. The characteristics of the discharge for different gases and pressures are given. The emission spectra of the plasma have been measured. The layers of the deposited graphite have been characterized by the methods of Raman scattering and atomic force microscopy. The field emission of nano-crystalline graphite was also measured. The produced layers have good homogeneity and high value of the electron field emission. The presence of vertically growing graphene is revealed.