%0 Conference Paper %B International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films, April 24-28, 1995 %D 1995 %T Formation of Metal Oxides by Cathodic Arc Deposition %A Simone Anders %A André Anders %A Michael D. Rubin %A Zhien Wang %A Sebastien Raoux %A Fanping Kong %A Ian G. Brown %K Cathodic arc deposition %K Oxide formation %X

Metal oxide thin films are of interest for a number of applications. Cathodic arc deposition, which is an established and industrially applied technique for the formation of nitrides (e.g. TIN), can also be used for metal oxide thin film formation. A cathodic arc plasma source with the desired cathode material is operated in an oxygen atmosphere of appropriate pressure, and metal oxides of various stoichiometric composition can be formed on different substrates. We report here on a series of experiments on metal oxide formation by cathodic arc deposition for different applications. Black copper oxide has been deposited on accelerator components to increase the radiative heat transfer between the parts. Various metal oxides such as tungsten oxide, niobium oxide, nickel oxide and vanadium oxide have been deposited on ITO glass to form electrochromic films for window applications. Tantalum oxide films are of interest for replacing polymer electrolytes. Optical waveguide structures can be formed by refractive index variation using oxide multilayers. We have synthesized multilayers of Al2O3/Y2O3/Al2O3/Si as possible basic structures for passive optoelectronic integrated circuits, and Al2-xErxO3 thin films with a variable Er concentration which is a potential component layer for the production of active optoelectronic integrated devices such as amplifiers or lasers at a wavelength of 1.53 pm. Aluminum and chromium oxide films have been deposited on a number of substrates to impart improved corrosion resistance at high temperature. Titanium sub-oxides which are electrically conductive and corrosion resistant and stable in a number of aggressive environments have been deposited on various substrates. These sub-oxides are of great interest for use in electrochemical cells. Common features of all these depositions are the high deposition rate typical for cathodic arc deposition, the good adhesion of the films due to the high metal ion energy, and the advantage of an environmentally clean method in comparison to wet-chemical oxide formation techniques.

%B International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films, April 24-28, 1995 %C San Diego, CA %8 04/1995 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0257-8972(95)02508-1 %1

Windows and Daylighting Group

%2 LBL-36166 %0 Journal Article %J Plasma Source Science and Technology %D 1995 %T Working Principle of the Hollow-Anode Plasma Source %A André Anders %A Simone Anders %X

The hollow-anode discharge is a special form of glow discharge. It is shown that a drastically reduced anode area is responsible for a positive anode voltage drop of 30-40 V and an increased anode sheath thickness. This leads to ignition of a relatively dense plasma in front of the anode hole. Langmuir probe measurements inside a specially designed hollow anode plasma source give an electron density and temperature of ne=109-1011 cm-3 and Te=1-3 eV, respectively (nitrogen, current 100 mA, flow rate 5-50 scc min-1). Driven by a pressure gradient, the 'anode' plasma is blown through the anode hole and forms a bright plasma jet streaming with supersonic velocity (Mach number 1.2). The plasma-stream can be used, for instance, in plasma-assisted deposition of thin films.

%B Plasma Source Science and Technology %V 4 %P 571-575 %8 11/1995 %G eng %N 4 %1

Windows and Daylighting Group

%2 LBL-36240 %! Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. %& 571 %R 10.1088/0963-0252/4/4/008