Vacuum-Arc Evaporator of Metals with an Extended Planar Cathode

A Vacuum arc evaporator with an extended planar cathode is described. The cathode is 30 mm thick by 120 mm wide by 750 mm long. The directed motion of the cathode spot occurs under the action of a transverse magnetic field generated by the arc discharge current traversing the cathode towards one of its current leads. The spot position is controlled by the system including a cathode spot position sensor and an electronic magnetic-field control unit. The system provides the programmed control over the zone of cathode spot drift along the cathode. This allows coating deposition onto the substrate with a prescribed thickness distribution in the coordinate parallel to longitudinal axis of the evaporator. The principle of operation of the evaporator imposes no restrictions on the cathode length.