Simplified cascaded arc discharge source for production of a processing plasma

A simplified cascaded arc discharge source is proposed as one possibility for plasma processing. While decreasing the number of floating electrodes which constrict the arc channel, the plasma parameters remain almost unchanged. The device was found to produce very low electron temperature (∼0.5 eV) plasma, preventing damage on a substrate by high energy ions which might be accelerated in an ion sheath, with high density (∼1012 cm−3). This device is expected to be applied to new fields of plasma processing requiring low electron temperature.