A pulsed electric-arc carbon plasma generator is designed to produce a relatively dense plasma flow, consisting mainly of carbon ions. The plasma flow is formed as a result of erosion of the generator cathode accompanying the process of a pulsed electric arc discharge in a vacuum.

The plasma source is a system of electrodes enclosed in a cooled sealed housing. The cooled cathode, additional anode, ignition electrodes 1 and 2 are made of dense fine-grained graphite. The source anode is made of stainless steel. The ignition electrodes are separated by a ceramic ring, the inner surface of which is initially covered with a thin film of graphite. The power supply has electrical inputs for supplying electrical energy to its electrode system. The power supply of the source electrode system is carried out from a capacitive energy storage device consisting of the main discharge energy storage itself and an auxiliary capacitor unit of the additional anode, which provides the proper potential differences between the system electrodes.

At the initial moment of time, all capacitors of the energy storage units are charged to the set voltage values. There is no current in the electrode system. When a high-voltage initiating pulse is applied to the ignition electrodes, a spark discharge occurs between them, which is accompanied by the discharge of charged particles into the interelectrode space and initiates an electrical breakdown in the auxiliary electrode system. The development of arc discharges between the additional anode and the grounded ignition electrode, as well as between the additional anode and the cathode, is accompanied by the injection of ions and electrons into the main discharge gap, which leads to its breakdown and the development of the main arc discharge. The main arc discharge is characterized by a large amplitude of the discharge current (3000 - 6000 A) and a short duration (150 - 350 μs). As the energy storage devices are discharged, the arc discharge dies out, the currents in the electrode system stop, and the storage device can be recharged to obtain the next arc discharge pulse. In series with the anode of the plasma generator, an ion-optical system, consisting of one or two coils, can be included, which provides control of the propagation of the plasma flow in the chamber of the vacuum installation. The DCC3000 commutator is used to control the dual-coil ion-optical system.

Specifications

Cathode diameter	29 mm
Cathode resource before servicing or replacing	100,000 pulses
The pulse repetition rate of the main discharge at the energy released during one pulse of 120 J	≥ 15 Hz
Height of the coverage area at a distance of 150 mm from the outer edge of the anode	100 mm
The number of pulses required to obtain a thin-film coating with a thickness of 1 micron with a simple rotation of the tooling	≤ 60,000
Connecting dimensions	flange ISO-F 250