The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 24, 1995
Filed:
May. 11, 1993
Applicant:
Inventors:
Jurgen Ramm, Flasch, CH;
Eugen Beck, Furstentum, LI;
Hugo Frei, Werdenberg, CH;
Albert Zueger, Furstentum, LI;
Gunter Peter, Plons, CH;
Assignee:
Balzers Aktiengesellschaft, Balzers, LI;
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
C23C / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
20419238 ; 20429841 ; 427580 ; 1187 / ;
Abstract
A cathode chamber (1) with a thermionic cathode (3) generates a low-voltage arc discharge in a vacuum treatment chamber (11). Arcing on wall portions of the treatment chamber (11) is prevented by providing a screen (20), operated so as to be electrically floating, in the region of a diaphragm (9), through which diaphragm (9) the discharge is drawn from the cathode chamber (1) into the treatment chamber (11). The discharge is ignited by impressing portions of the cathode chamber wall with the ignition potential, with respect to the potential of the cathode (3).