Comparison of Three Different Ion Sources and the Effects of Additional Neutralizer Current

The behaviors of three significantly different geometries of industrial ion sources are compared.   The gas flow needed for a given discharge voltage can be significantly reduced by additional neutralizer filament current beyond that needed to eliminate arcing/sparking due to excess charge build-up from the positive ions from the source.  This reduced gas flow also reduces the process pressure and thereby reduces the competition of that gas for a position in the matrix of a film being deposited with the ion assisted deposition intended to produce increased film density.