This article describes the vacuum arc plasma source of extended design generating the directed belt plasma stream and operating in pulse mode. The researches carried out give additional information about development of the cathode spots of the vacuum arc discharge. It is found that the speed of the cathode spots' motion depends on the cathode temperature.

The questions of stabilizing the cathode temperature in a vacuum-arc discharge are discussed. A model and a method for calculating the temperature of the working surface of the cathode end, eroded under the action of cathode spots, are presented. Stabilization of the cathode temperature is carried out by changing the arc discharge current during the operation of the evaporator in accordance with the obtained regularity or design solutions.

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