METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR METAL AND CERAMIC NANOLAYERING FOR ACCIDENT TOLERANT NUCLEAR FUEL, PARTICLE ACCELERATORS, AND AEROSPACE LEADING EDGES
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR METAL AND CERAMIC NANOLAYERING FOR ACCIDENT TOLERANT NUCLEAR FUEL, PARTICLE ACCELERATORS, AND AEROSPACE LEADING EDGES
A system is described that includes a sputter target and a magnetic element array including multiple sets of magnets arranged to have a Hall-Effect region that extends along a length of the sputter target. The elongated sputtering electrode material tube is interposed between the magnetic array and an object to be deposited with a sputtered material from the sputter target. During a direct current high-power impulse magnetron sputtering operation, the system performs a depositing on a surface of the object by generating and controlling an ion and neutral particle flux by: providing a vacuum apparatus containing a sputter target holder electrode; first generating a high-power pulsed plasma magnetron discharge with a high-current negative direct current (DC) pulse to the sputter a target holder electrode; and second generating a configurable positive voltage kick pulse to the sputter target holder electrode after terminating the negative DC pulse.