A spectroscopic analysis of plasma properties produced in a new type of pulsed-vacuum arc system, is presented herein. The system is used to produce TiN coatings and the process is carried out by using a vacuum chamber filled with nitrogen. Inside the chamber there are two opposite electrodes (the anode being the sample and the cathode acting as the target). A bank of capacitors is charged up to 300 V. Thereafter, it is discharged between the electrodes by means of a RLC circuit producing the plasma. Some species (Ti, Ti I, N, N I, N2, N2 I, and TiN) have been identified in the plasma. Electron and excitation temperatures were calculated by means of titanium atomic lines assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), but supposing that Texc is different to Te, using the Boltzmann plot and line-continuum ratio, obtaining approximate values of 1 eV. Electron density in the order of 1013 cm−3 was calculated using stark broadening of atomic nitrogen lines at 414.6 and 492.8 nm. Moreover, the plasma behavior as a function of the pressure was studied in this article.
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