Guiding of plasma by electric field and magnetic field

The relationship between the transported ion current and the cathodic arc current is determined in a vacuum arc plasma source equipped with a curved magnetic filter. Our results suggest that the outer and inner walls of the duct interact with the plasma independently. The duct magnetic field is a critical factor of the plasma output. The duct transport efficiency is to maximize at a value of bias plate voltage in the range +10 V to +20 V and independent (within our limit of measurement) of the magnetic field strength in the duct. 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 can reflect the ions and increase the output current. Our experimental data also show that biasing both sides of the duct is more effective than biasing the outer wall alone.