Abstract
Optical emission spectroscopy studies of vanadium plasma in a cathodic-arc discharge in a nitrogen atmosphere have been carried out. Spectral lines of neutral atoms and ions of the cathode material V, V~(1+), and V~(2+), and nitrogen N_2 and N_2~+ were observed in the discharge plasma. Analysis and comparison of the intensity of vanadium and nitrogen spectral lines as a function of nitrogen pressure showed that in vacuum excited ions V~(2+) and V~+ are registered, with increasing pressure, the lines V~+*, N_2*, and N_2~+* are observed, and at pressures above 0.5 Pa, the neutral vanadium lines are additionally registered. The electron temperature of T_e decreases from 5.9 to 3-4 eV with increasing pressure. Studies of cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy images of VN coatings deposited at different nitrogen pressures have shown that a dense, homogeneous, fine-grained microstructure is formed in the coating when the number of neutral V in the plasma is low, while in the presence of a large number of neutrals, the coating structure changes to a dense structure with columnar growth.
NETL
NSTL