JOURNAL OF OPTOELECTRONICS AND ADVANCED MATERIALS, cilt.7, sa.5, ss.2489-2494, 2005 (SCI-Expanded)
The thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) discharges were studied in the vapors of various metals (Zn, Pb, Ag, Sn, Cu, Au, Co, Ti) and Cu-Ag and Cu-Sn alloys. Cu-Ag and Cu-Sn alloys in various mass ratios were prepared by using the TVA, and the TVA discharges were generated in the vapors of these alloys. The volt-ampere characteristics of the TVA discharges generated in the vapors of these alloys were investigated with respect to the ratio of Ag in the Cu-Ag alloy and Sn in the Cu-Sn alloy. Cu-Ag ailoy thin films with various mass ratios were deposited onto the glass substrates by using TVA discharges. The ratios of Cu and Ag in the thin Cu-Ag alloy films were found using the SEM-EDX microanalyses. The breakdown voltages of the TVA discharges depend on the boiling temperature of the material used to produce metal vapors.