Abstract
A constant challenge for industrialists in cold cathode
technologies is the selection of a cathode material which exhibits suitable
properties in order to improve performance. One particularly important aspect
of performance is the sputter erosion of the cathode, which can lead to lamp
failures. Traditionally, refractory metals have been favored for their high
densities and energies of sublimation, which result in low sputter yields
according to the theory due to Sigmund, and in experiment. However, this paper
presents a simple theory which shows that the primary sputter yield is only
one step in the liberation of sputtered material from the electrode. The energy
of sublimation in fact plays an important role in the energy distribution
of the sputtered material. Also, collisions in the bulk gas and the voltage
characteristics of the cathode dark space should be taken into consideration
for calculating the flux of liberated material. The paper presents a heuristic
model of cold cathode sputtering in glow discharges with a view to elucidating
the underlying physics in the process. The theory results in a reappraisal
of electrode material properties that differs from the traditional view.
© 2012 IEEE
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