Time dependence of vacuum arc parameters

Time-resolved investigations of the expanded plasma of vacuum arc cathode spots are described, including the study of the ion charge state distribution, the random cathode spot motion, and the crater formation. It was found that the ion charge state distribution changes over a time scale on the order of hundreds of microseconds. For the random spot motion two time scales were observed: a very short spot residence time of tens of nanoseconds which gives, combined with the step width, the diffusion parameter of the random motion, and a longer time scale on the order of 100 μs during which the diffusion parameter changes. Crater formation studies by scanning electron microscopy indicate the occurrence of larger craters at the end of crater chains. The existence of a time scale, much longer than the elementary times for crater formation and spot residence, can be explained by local heat accumulation