Multicomponent vacuum-arc ion beams

The paper generalizes the results of research on pulsed-periodic generation of multicomponent ion streams in sources based on vacuum arc discharge. Methods are considered for forming composition-and-energy controlled multicomponent beams for multielement ion implantation in Raduga sources. The features and laws governing the emission properties of wide-aperture ion sources with plasma generation by evaporation of a material in a cathode spot are discussed. A comparative analysis is made of the physical laws and possibilities of forming one-element or multielement ion beams during extraction from a free plasma boundary under conditions when a virtual anode exists and a positive voltage drop near the anode exists in the vacuum-arc-discharge plasma.