Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, Saint Petersburg, Russia:

V. A. Tupik, Vice Rector for Research, Head of the Department of Microradio electronics and Radio Technology, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor
V. I. Margolin, Professor at the Department of Microradioelectronics and Radio Technology, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, e-mail: V.Margolin@mail.ru
D. K. Kostrin, Associate Professor at the Department of Electronic Equipment and Devices, Candidate of Technical Sciences

Kotelnikov Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia:

A. A. Potapov, Principal Researcher, Doctor of Physics & Mathematics Sciences, Professor

The method of magnetron sputtering using arc discharge is one of the most advanced and high-performance techniques for producing nanoscale films, especially metal films and, in particular, titanium and copper ones. The cathode spots that form during arc discharge are the discharge centers and they provide channels along which current travels from the cathode to the anode in the form of dense plasma jets of the cathode material forming a so-called plasma torch. The ion energy in such plasma torch is higher than in the conventional magnetron sputtering, which ensures a significantly better adhesion of the resulting films. At the same time, nanoscale titanium films are often used to create transition mating sublayers between the substrate and the main working film. Out of non-metallic films, titanium nitride films are of special interest. The main disadvantage of magnetron arc sputtering is the presence of a droplet phase in the plasma torch, which hinders the creation of nanoscale structures by forming condensate on the substrate. The resulting microdroplets are usually electrically neutral, therefore they cannot be removed and neutralized by means of electric or magnetic fields. The arc evaporator needs to be retrofitted so that the droplet phase was eliminated and thin-film coatings (including nanoscale coatings) could be produced. A plasma torch is formed with the help of a focusing coil, in which both ions of the sprayed substance and its droplets are present. A special flap prevents direct-flying droplets from getting in the flow of sprayed substance, and at least one more flap installed in the housing of the focusing coil protects the flow from droplets flying at an angle from the cathode. The flap is designed as a truncated cone made of non-magnetic metal, with the diameter of the larger base of the cone being equal to the inner diameter of the focusing coil, and the smaller diameter of the cone that faces the cooled cathode is equal to twice the diameter of the flap. The flap is coaxial with the cooled cathode of the arc evaporator.

1. Tretiakov Yu. D. Micro- and nanostructured materials. A photo report from the fifth dimension. Moscow : Premium, 2008. 181 p.
2. Beznosyuk S. A., Lerkh Ya. V., Zhukovskiy M. S. Computer modelling of the self-organization of fractal nanostructures of nickel in non-equilibrium conditions. Fundamentalnye problemy sovremennogo materialovedenia. 2008. No. 1. pp. 61–67.
3. Pratton M. Thin ferromagnetic films. Leningrad : Sudostroenie, 1967. 266 p.
4. See E. L., Boldue P. C., Violet V. Magnetic ordering and critical thickness of ultrathin iron films. Physical Review Letters. 1964. Vol. 13, No. 6. pp. 300–302.
5. Pak V. N., Golov O. V. Forming and electrical conductivity of lowdimensional structures of copper in porous glass. Zhurnal obshchey khimii. 2015. Vol. 85, No. 5. pp. 535–538.
6. Liu Z. Understanding the growth mechanisms of Ag nanoparticles controlled by plasmon-induced charge transfers in Ag — TiO₂ films. Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 2015. Vol. 119. pp. 9496–9505.
7. New Materials. Preparation, properties and applications in the aspect of nanotechnology. Ed. A. G. Syrkov, K. L. Levine. New York : Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2020. 248 p.
8. Pleskunov I. V., Syrkov A. G. Development of research of lowdimensional metal-containing systems from P. P. Weimarn to our days. Journal of Mining Institute. 2018. Vol. 231. pp. 287–291.
9. Syrkov A. G., Bazhin V. Yu., Mustafaev A. S. Nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Aspects of physics and mineral resources. Saint Petersburg : Politekh-Press, 2019. 244 p.
10. Slobodov A. A., Syrkov A. G., Yachmenova L. A., Kushchenko A. N. et al. Effect of Temperature on Solid-state Hydride Metal Synthesis According of Thermodynamic Modeling. Journal of Mining Institute. 2019. Vol. 239. pp. 550–555.
11. Andreev A. A., Sablev L. P., Shulaev V. M., Grigoriev S. M. Vacuum arc devices and coatings. Kharkov : NNTs KhFTI, 2005. 236 p.
12. Lisenkov A. A., Valuev V. P. Vacuum Arc Discharge on Integrally Cold Cathode. Vakuum in Forschung und Praxis. 2011. Vol. 23, Iss. 6. pp. 32–36.
13. Andreev A. A., Sablev S. N., Grigoriev S. N. Vacuum arc coatings. Kharkov : NNTs KhFTI, 2010. 318 p.
14. Aksenov I. I. Vacuum arc in erosion plasma sources. Kharkov : NNTs KhFTI, 2005. pp. 19–37.
15. Grachev V. I., Zhabrev V. A., Margolin V. I., Tupik V. A. Fundamentals of the nanoscale particle and film synthesis. Izhevsk : Izdatelstvo “Udmurtiya”, 2014. 480 p.
16. Grachev V. I., Margolin V. I., Tupik V. A. Production of electronic components on the basis of glow discharge: The basic process. Norwegian Journal of Development of the International Science. 2017. No. 6. pp. 88–91.
17. Shulaev V. M., Andreev A. A., Rudenko V. P. Vacuum arc units retrofitted to produce coatings and do nitriding by means of ion implantation and deposition. Fizicheskaya inzheneriya poverkhnosti. 2006. Vol. 4, No. 3-4. pp. 136–142.
18. Shulaev V. M., Andreev A. A., Rudenko V. P. The standard Bulat-6 unit retrofitted to produce vacuum arc coatings by plasma ion implantation and deposition and for hydrogen-free ion nitriding. Proceedings of the International Conference on Nanotechnology. Kharkov, NNTs KhFTI. 2008. Vol. 1. pp. 5–14.
19. Margolin V. I., Markov E. S., Starobinets I. M., Trefilov V. V. et al. Arc evaporator. Patent RF, No. 179881. Applied: 04.07.2017. Published: 28.05.2018. Bulletin No. 16.
20. Margolin V. I., Toisev V. N., Tupik V. A., Starobinets I. M. et al. A unit for producing thin-film coatings. Patent RF, No. 194223. Applied: 05.08.2019. Published: 03.12.2019. Bulletin No. 34.