Comparison of the effect of arched and through magnetic field configurations in cathodic arc deposition

Abstract

Cathodic arc deposition, in spite of all its advantages, including feasible alloying evaporation, high deposition rate and considerable adhesion, faces the challenge of macroparticles. In this article, the influence of arched and through magnetic field configurations on the reduction in the number and size of the macroparticles of the Al coating, arc voltage and ion current density was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the macroparticles of the coating. The number of macroparticles in the arched magnetic field was decreased from 3.5 × 10⁻³ to 2.2 × 10⁻³ µm⁻², on the other hand in the through magnetic field, it was reduced from 3.5 × 10⁻³ to 2.6 × 10⁻³ µm⁻². So with increasing the intensity of the magnetic field from 0 to 120 G, the ion current density was decreased from 2.36 to 1.3 mA cm⁻² in the arched magnetic field configuration, however, it did not change considerably for the through one.