Charge-State-Resolved Ion Energy Distributions of Aluminum Vacuum Arcs

The charge-state-resolved ion energy distributions of metal ions present in a cathodic arc plasma have been measured and analyzed. Contrary to literature data, lower energies were observed for higher charged ions. The observations were explained by opposing acceleration by pressure gradient and electron-ion coupling, and deceleration by part of the discharge voltage. The distributions were well fitted by shifted Maxwellian distributions, giving additional information on plasma parameters. These results are of importance for an improved understanding of the evolution of ion energy distributions, and is hence instrumental for future progress in thin film growth modelling.