Erosion behaviour of a Ti sub(3)SiC sub(2) cathode under low-current vacuum arc

In this article, the arc erosion behaviour or high-purity Ti sub(3)SiC sub(2) in vacuum was investigated by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. From the results obtained, Ti sub(3)SiC sub(2) is unstable due to the high energy intensity and high temperature of the vacuum arc. The dissociation of Ti sub(3)SiC sub(2) takes place at the sample surface, resulting in the formation of solid TiC sub(x) and gaseous Si. TiC sub(x) is ejected from cathode to the surface of anode while Si is evaporated to the vacuum chamber. The micro-Raman results reveal that small amounts of carbon appeared as a by-product of the dissociation of Ti sub(3)SiC sub(2), indicating that the Ti-C bonding is broken down under the vacuum arc.