Modeling of cathode sputtering in a low-current gas discharge in a mixture of argon with mercury vapor

Abstract

The energy spectra of ion fluxes bombarding the surface of the cathode are calculated for the case of low-current discharge in an argon–mercury mixture, in which the mercury density is several orders of magnitude lower than the argon density and depends on temperature. The effective rates of tungsten-cathode sputtering by ions of both mixture components and the flux densities of cathode-material atoms sputtered by them are found as functions of the reduced electric-field strength in the discharge gap. It is shown that, at a low mercury content in the mixture, the intensities of cathode sputtering by mercury and argon ions can be comparable in magnitude.