Patent ID: 6504294
Filing Date: 2003-01-07
Classification: C23C,G11B,Y10S

Abstract:
A Hall-Current ion source for the vacuum processing of materials comprising:(a) a chamber under a vacuum (b) at least one anode discharge region within said chamber for the formation and acceleration of a plasma beam, said anode discharge region having an opening at a first end adjacent the exterior of said chamber and at least one anode at a second end having at least one gap therein, said anode being electrically insulated from said chamber in such a manner to prohibit the formation of plasma migrating into the interior of said chamber behind said anode; (c) cooling means for thermally cooling said anode other than by radiative thermal emission; (d) at least one self-sustaining cathode electron source; (e) power supply connected to said anode for applying a Voltage to provide a discharge current to flow between said anode and said self-sustaining cathode to drive an anode discharge current from said anode through said anode discharge region to said cathode; (f) at least one injector for introducing plasma maintenance gases through the gap in said anode and into said anode discharge region; and (g) at least one electromagnet mounted in said chamber for establishing and for at least partially driving a magnetic field within said anode discharge region.