Vacuum-based surface engineering and coating processes require plasma sources generating a high charge carrier density in order to achieve enhanced sputter and activation effects. Fraunhofer FEP is providing a hollow-cathode based plasma source, which produces homogeneous large-volume plasmas of up to 1 m3 with maximum plasma densities of more than 1012 cm-3 at chamber pressures between 0.1 and 10 Pa. The cathode tube is flown through by the working gas such as argon with flow rates between 8 and 100 sccm. A diffuse arc discharge with currents up to 200 A between the inner cathode tube surface and the surrounding annular anode is ignited and amplified by an axial magnetic field with field strengths up to 100 mT.

The importance of electronegative species in technological plasmas is currently of great interest, both from a theoretical and experimental point of view, with much of the recent work concentrating on reactive ion etching discharges.

EQP Systems. High Sensitivity Mass and Energy Analysers for Monitoring, Control and Characterisation of Ions, Neutrals and Radicals in Plasma.

ESPION series electrostatic plasma probes Advanced Langmuir Probes for Plasma Diagnostics

HPR60 Molecular Beam Sampling Mass Spectrometer Brochure.