Abstract: A plasma ion source includes a plasma chamber body having at least one inlet for introducing a feed gas to an interior of the plasma chamber body. The plasma chamber body is electrically isolated from a vacuum chamber attached to the plasma chamber body. An inductive antenna in an interior of the plasma chamber body is configured to supply a source of electromagnetic energy as a function of an RF voltage supplied thereto. The plasma ion source includes an extraction grid disposed at an end of the plasma chamber body. A voltage difference between the extraction grid and plasma chamber body accelerates charged species in a plasma discharge to generate an output quasi-neutral plasma ion beam. A bias voltage applied to the plasma chamber body includes a portion of the RF voltage supplied to the antenna combined with a pulsed DC voltage.

Abstract: A plasma ion source includes a plasma generation unit comprising a plasma discharge chamber adapted to generate and sustain a plasma confined therein, a gas distribution unit adapted to deliver a working gas into an interior of the plasma discharge chamber, an ignition unit adapted to stimulate ionization of the working gas to generate a stable plasma, an electrode bias unit configured to apply an electrostatic potential to charged species in the plasma discharge, and an ion extraction unit configured to accelerate the charged species out of the ion extraction unit to generate a quasi-neutral plasma ion beam. The plasma ion source further includes a vacuum integrated matching network coupled with the plasma generation and electrode bias units. The matching network resides with the plasma generation and electrode bias units in a vacuum chamber during operation of the plasma ion source.

Abstract: A plasma ion source includes a plasma chamber body having at least one inlet for introducing a feed gas to an interior of the plasma chamber body. The plasma chamber body is electrically isolated from a vacuum chamber attached to the plasma chamber body. An inductive antenna in an interior of the plasma chamber body is configured to supply a source of electromagnetic energy as a function of an RF voltage supplied thereto. The plasma ion source includes an extraction grid disposed at an end of the plasma chamber body. A voltage difference between the extraction grid and plasma chamber body accelerates charged species in a plasma discharge to generate an output quasi-neutral plasma ion beam. A bias voltage applied to the plasma chamber body includes a portion of the RF voltage supplied to the antenna combined with a pulsed DC voltage.

Abstract: A plasma ion source includes a plasma generation unit comprising a plasma discharge chamber adapted to generate and sustain a plasma confined therein, a gas distribution unit adapted to deliver a working gas into an interior of the plasma discharge chamber, an ignition unit adapted to stimulate ionization of the working gas to generate a stable plasma, an electrode bias unit configured to apply an electrostatic potential to charged species in the plasma discharge, and an ion extraction unit configured to accelerate the charged species out of the ion extraction unit to generate a quasi-neutral plasma ion beam. The plasma ion source further includes a vacuum integrated matching network coupled with the plasma generation and electrode bias units. The matching network resides with the plasma generation and electrode bias units in a vacuum chamber during operation of the plasma ion source.

Abstract: The invention relates to fluorine-doped coatings which include a diamond-like composition containing carbon, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and fluorine on various substrates. Preferred substrates include flexible substrates, precision-edged substrates, and electrosurgical instruments. The present invention also relates to a method of making a substrate coated with a fluorine-doped diamond-like coating which includes positioning the substrate in a vacuum coating chamber and depositing a diamond-like composition containing carbon, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and fluorine onto the substrate by co-deposition of clusterless particle beams comprised of ions, atoms, or radicals of the carbon, silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and fluorine, the mean free path of each particle species being in excess of the distance between its source and the growing particle coating surface of the substrate.