Cathodic arcs are among the longest studied yet least understood objects in science. Plasma-generating, tiny spots appear on the cathode; they are highly dynamic and hard to control. With an approach emphasizing the fractal character of cathode spots, strongly fluctuating plasma properties are described such as the presence of multiply charged ions that move with supersonic velocity. Richly illustrated, the book also deals with practical issues, such as arc source construction, macroparticle removal, and the synthesis of dense, well adherent coatings. The book spans a bridge from plasma physics to coatings technology based on energetic condensation, appealing to scientists, practitioners and graduate students alike.

This book is devoted to a thorough investigation of the physics and applications of the vacuum arc – a highly-ionized metallic plasma source used in a number of applications – with emphasis on cathode spot phenomena and plasma formation. The goal is to understand the origins and behavior of the various complex and sometimes mysterious phenomena involved in arc formation, such as cathode spots, electrode vaporization, and near-electrode plasma formation. The book takes the reader from a model of dense cathode plasma based on charge-exchange ion-atom collisions through a kinetic approach to cathode vaporization and on to metal thermophysical properties of cathodes. This picture is further enhanced by an in-depth study of cathode jets and plasma acceleration, the effects of magnetic fields on cathode spot behavior, and electrical characteristics of arcs and cathode spot dynamics. The book also describes applications to space propulsion, thin film deposition, laser plasma generation, and magnetohydrodynamics, making this comprehensive and up-to-date volume a valuable resource for researchers in academia and industry.

Today's shortages of resources make the search for wear and corrosion resistant materials one of the most important tasks of the next century. Since the surface of a material is the location where any interaction occurs, it is that there the hardest requirements on the material are imposed: to be wear resistant for tools and bearings; to be corrosion resistant for turbine blades and tubes in the petrochemical industry; to be antireflecting for solar cells; to be decorative for architectural panels and to combine several of these properties in other applications. Surface engineering is the general term that incorporates all the techniques by which a surface modification can be accomplished. These techniques include both coating and modification of the surface by ion implantation and laser beam melting. In recent years a continuously growing number of these techniques were developed to the extent that it became more and more difficult to maintain an overlook and to understand which of these highly differentiated techniques might be applied to resolve a given surface engineering problem. A similar development is also occuring for surface characterization techniques. This volume contains contributions from renowned scientists and engineers to the Eurocourse the aim of which was to inform about the various techniques and to give a comprehensive survey of the latest development on this subject.

Comprehensive Materials Processing, Thirteen Volume Set provides students and professionals with a one-stop resource consolidating and enhancing the literature of the materials processing and manufacturing universe. It provides authoritative analysis of all processes, technologies, and techniques for converting industrial materials from a raw state into finished parts or products. Assisting scientists and engineers in the selection, design, and use of materials, whether in the lab or in industry, it matches the adaptive complexity of emergent materials and processing technologies. Extensive traditional article-level academic discussion of core theories and applications is supplemented by applied case studies and advanced multimedia features. Coverage encompasses the general categories of solidification, powder, deposition, and deformation processing, and includes discussion on plant and tool design, analysis and characterization of processing techniques, high-temperatures studies, and the influence of process scale on component characteristics and behavior. Authored and reviewed by world-class academic and industrial specialists in each subject field Practical tools such as integrated case studies, user-defined process schemata, and multimedia modeling and functionality Maximizes research efficiency by collating the most important and established information in one place with integrated applets linking to relevant outside sources

This handbook brings together, under a single cover, all aspects of the chemistry, physics, and engineering of surfaces and interfaces of materials currently studied in academic and industrial research. It covers different experimental and theoretical aspects of surfaces and interfaces, their physical properties, and spectroscopic techniques that have been applied to a wide class of inorganic, organic, polymer, and biological materials. The diversified technological areas of surface science reflect the explosion of scientific information on surfaces and interfaces of materials and their spectroscopic characterization. The large volume of experimental data on chemistry, physics, and engineering aspects of materials surfaces and interfaces remains scattered in so many different periodicals, therefore this handbook compilation is needed.The information presented in this multivolume reference draws on two decades of pioneering research on the surfaces and interfaces of materials to offer a complete perspective on the topic. These five volumes-Surface and Interface Phenomena; Surface Characterization and Properties; Nanostructures, Micelles, and Colloids; Thin Films and Layers; Biointerfaces and Applications-provide multidisciplinary review chapters and summarize the current status of the field covering important scientific and technological developments made over past decades in surfaces and interfaces of materials and spectroscopic techniques with contributions from internationally recognized experts from all over the world. Fully cross-referenced, this book has clear, precise, and wide appeal as an essential reference source long due for the scientific community. The complete reference on the topic of surfaces and interfaces of materialsThe information presented in this multivolume reference draws on two decades of pioneering researchProvides multidisciplinary review chapters and summarizes the current status of the fieldCovers important scientific and technological developments made over past decades in surfaces and interfaces of materials and spectroscopic techniquesContributions from internationally recognized experts from all over the world

This is a comprehensive text describing the basic physics and technological applications of vacuum arcs. Part I describes basic physics of the vacuum arc, beginning with a brief tutorial review of plasma and electrical discharge physics, then describes the arc ignition process, cathode and anode spots which serve as the locus for plasma generation, and resultant interelectrode plasma. Part II describes the applications of the vacuum arc for depositing thin films and coatings, refining metals, switching high power, and as sources of intense electron, ion, plasma, and x-ray beams.

The NATO-sponsored Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Emerging Applications of Vacuum-Arc-Produced Plasma, Ion and Electron Beams" was held at the Baikal Dunes Resort, Lake Baikal, Russia, on June 24-28, 2002. Participants were from NATO countries Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Turkey and the USA, and from NATO partner countries Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The goal of the meeting was to bring together researchers involved in novel applications of plasmas and ion/electron beams formed from vacuum arc discharges, especially in less conventional or emerging scientific areas such as new perspectives on vacuum arc phenomena, generation of high charge state metal ions, heavy ion accelerator injection, multi-layer thin film synthesis, biological applications, generation of high-current high-density electron beams, and more. It was our hope that the meeting would engender new research directions and help to establish new collaborations, prompt new thinking for research and technology applications of vacuum arc science, and in general foster development of the field. The Workshop was a great success, as was clearly felt by all of the attendees. The small number of participants at the meeting tended to encourage a high level of closeness and communication between individuals. The location, a small resort on the western side of Lake Baikal in the vicinity of Irkutsk, was ideal - the isolated location, small and quiet, was excellent and was most conducive to discussion among individuals and small groups quite apart from the formal presentations.