Nonsputtering impulse magnetron discharge

Experiments with quasi-steady high-current discharges in crossed E × B fields in various gases (Ar, N2, H2, and SF6) and gas mixtures (Ar/SF6 and Ar/O2) at pressures from 10−3 to 5 Torr in discharge systems with different configurations of electric and magnetic fields revealed a specific type of stable low-voltage discharge that does not transform into an arc. This type of discharge came to be known as a high-current diffuse discharge and, later, a nonsputtering impulse magnetron discharge. This paper presents results from experimental studies of the plasma parameters (the electron temperature, the plasma density, and the temperature of ions and atoms of the plasma-forming gas) of a high-current low-pressure diffuse discharge in crossed E × B fields.