Simple and inexpensive current-driven magnetic multipole plasma homogenizer.

Magnetic multipole plasma confinement geometries employing permanent magnets are commonly used to confine laboratory plasmas and improve uniformity. Here we describe the design and operation of a particularly simple and low-cost kind of current-driven multipole system that makes use of a similar magnetic field structure but does not require permanent magnets. The magnetic field is generated by current carrying wires attached to the inside wall of a cylindrical supporting structure to provide a magnetic field resembling that of permanent multipole magnetic homogenizers. We demonstrate the use of the current-driven homogenizer to improve the uniformity of the radial density profile of a vacuum arc generated metal plasma. Our configuration of metal plasma gun, macroparticle filter, and current-driven homogenizer was used for thin film deposition, and was able to produce a relatively homogeneous film thickness profile while maintaining a deposition rate comparable to that at the peak point of the freely expanded beam at the same location. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]