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2011
Conference Paper
Titel
A new generation of plasma-based electron beam sources with high power density as a novel tool for high-rate PVD
Abstract
Electron beam sources with cold cathodes which can emit secondary electrons upon stimulation by a high-voltage glow-discharge have recently be reported to provide an economically attractive alternative to conventional thermionic electron beam guns. This paper introduces a new generation of discharge-based electron beam sources which combine the simplicity of known cold cathode devices with beneficial performance parameters reached so far with traditional thermionic electron sources only. The cathode of these new guns consists of a material that is capable of secondary as well as of thermionic electron emission, whereas an elevated work temperature is maintained by ions extracted from a high-voltage glow-discharge. This so called "hybrid cathode" mode of beam generation shows interesting physical behaviour and technically advantageous features.