Description

The anode layer accelerator (ALA) is a single-stage plasma ion source with the closed electron drift and narrow acceleration zone. The sources of such type are very attractive due to their simple design and ability to generate ion-plasma flows having various configurations, shaped as rings and ellipses, convergent/divergent with respect to the axis and so on. They can be efficiently used for ion treatment of metal and non-metal targets, e.g. surface cleaning, etching, and activation. These sources can effectively process any materials even without the additional emitter of electrons.

1 - source,

2 - plasma flow,

3 - target.

• The ALA can generate beams with current in wide range of values, from μA to tens of Amperes from linear unit of discharge channel, and ions energy from hundreds of Volts to kiloVolts. One of the main advantages of the ALAs is the gridless design and possibility to operate without additional electron emitters.
  
  
• With a minimal modernization the accelerator can operate in a wide range of the pressure, from mPa to Pa. They can work with gas mixtures and reactive gases.
  
  
• These sources enable effective processing dielectric and semiconductor targets. The etching rate for a Copper is not less than the best values for the other kinds of sources.
  
  

Areas of Application

Plasma etching, creation of anisotropy of surface properties of materials (Liquid Crystal Alignment), surface activation. The essential advantage is the possibility to work with the dielectric and semiconductor targets. The using of anode layer accelerator allows to scale this technology easily for the very large size substrates.