Study of filtered cathodic vacuum arc technology and properties of tetrahedral amorphous carbon films

Cathodic vacuum arc systems have long been used to produce thin film coatings in a vacuum. However, it has been observed in the deposition of films using cathodic arc technology that the plasma beam of positive ions and electrons produced by the arc is frequently contaminated by large, typically neutral, particles that are multi-atom clusters, commonly referred to as macro particles. The presence of macro particles in deposited films has precluded the use of cathodic arc techniques for obtaining optical and electronic coatings. Much work has therefore been directed towards eliminating the undesirable side effects of the presence of macro particles in the plasma beam.Doctor of Philosophy (EEE