Extended Anode Effect for Tube Inner Coating of Non-Conductive Ceramics by Pulsed Coaxial Magnetron Plasma

Abstract

For uniform tube inner coating of non-conductive thin films, the double-ended coaxial magnetron pulsed plasma (DCMPP) method was investigated. In this study, coating of TiN and TiO 2 was performed. It was clearly shown that the extended anode effect was strongly influenced by the electric resistance of the coated thin films on the inner surface of an insulator tube. Additionally, high frequency (100 kHz) was better for relatively high plasma density. On the other hand, in the case of titanium oxide deposition, negative ion productions drastically decrease the deposition rate and the shifting velocity of plasma main position for coated TiO 2 films.

Tube Inner Coating of Non-Conductive Films by Pulsed Reactive Coaxial Magnetron Plasma with Outer Anode

“…The extended anode effect is useful for the coating of conductive films inside insulator tubes, because the deposited film plays the role of an anode [11]. However, the extended anode effect cannot be used for insulator tube coatings of non-conductive or high resistivity films, because electrons charge up the tube inner walls and prevent plasma from spreading along the tube, as reported in our previous article [12]. Therefore, new methods for the uniform coating of non-conductive or high resistivity films on the inner walls of insulator tubes are required.…”