An electron cyclotron resonance plasma configuration for increasing the efficiency in the yield of nitrogen endohedral fullerenes

Efficiently yielding a nitrogen-atom endohedral fullerene (N@C-60) is demonstrated for the first time using an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source with a minimum-B mirror configuration realized by hexapole permanent magnets. Since electrons are effectively confined around a bottom of the minimum-B mirror in the ECR region, the high-temperature electrons can be generated there, and as a result, the dissociation degree of the nitrogen molecules increases drastically. This highly dissociated nitrogen plasma has a number of nitrogen-atom radicals and ions, thus permitting an enhancement of N@C-60 yield. (C)2007 American Institute of Physics.