Mechanism of enhanced plasma transport of vacuum arc plasma through curved magnetic ducts

The mechanism of the enhanced transport efficiency in a vacuum arc plasma source equipped with a curved magnetic filter is investigated. The relationship between the transported ion current and the cathodic arc current is determined, and our results suggest that the outer and inner walls of the duct interact with the plasma independently. The plasma flux is composed of two components: a diffusion flux in the transverse direction due to particle collisions, and a drift flux due to the ion inertia. The inner wall of the magnetic duct sees only the diffusion flux while the outer wall receives both fluxes. Thus, applying a positive potential to the outer duct wall reflects the ions and increases the output current. Our experimental data also show that biasing both sides of the duct is more effective than biasing the outer wall alone.