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Updated: May 24, 2026
09:48
Simultaneous Synthesis of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene in a Magnetically-enhanced Arc Plasma
Published on: February 2, 2012
Shunting arc plasma source for pure carbon ion beam
H Koguchi1, H Sakakita, S Kiyama
1National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan. h-koguchi@aist.go.jp
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|March 3, 2012
Summary
Researchers developed a pure carbon ion beam source using a coaxial shunting arc plasma gun. This novel system creates hydrogen-free carbon plasma from solid carbon, ideal for diamond material deposition.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Plasma Physics
- Surface Engineering
Background:
- Development of advanced materials like diamond requires specialized deposition techniques.
- Existing methods for generating carbon plasma often involve hydrocarbon gases, leading to hydrogen contamination.
- Pure carbon ion beams offer a promising alternative for high-quality carbon material synthesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel plasma source for generating a pure carbon ion beam.
- To enable the deposition of hydrogen-free carbon materials, such as diamond.
- To characterize the performance of the developed coaxial shunting arc plasma gun.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a coaxial shunting arc plasma gun configuration.
- Employed solid-state carbon material as the plasma source, avoiding hydrocarbon gases.
- Measured ion saturation current using a double probe diagnostic.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated a pure carbon ion beam.
- The plasma source operates without hydrogen, confirmed by the absence of hydrocarbon gas usage.
- Achieved an ion saturation current of approximately 0.2 mA/mm² at the pulse peak.
Conclusions:
- A novel plasma source capable of producing a pure carbon ion beam has been established.
- This technology facilitates the deposition of high-purity carbon materials, including diamond.
- The hydrogen-free nature of the plasma is a key advantage for advanced material applications.
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