NOVELTY - The source has a hollow cathode (1) comprising an active surface (2) and a passive surface (3) that are utilized for generation of plasma (5). The hollow cathode is provided with a shield, which comprises an insulator material layer (6) that is made of glass, ceramics, mica, hard paper, hard fabrics, powder-type particle, granular particle and high power plastic. The shield is distanced to the passive surface in a boundary area under formation of a boundary gap (7), where the boundary area is adjacent to the active surface. An anode is arranged on the insulator material layer.    USE - Hollow cathode-plasma source for surface treatment of a hollow source and a concave molded surface e.g. tube, bearing, components of a combustion engine such as a turbine i.e. gas turbine and steam turbine, compressor, turbine blade, catalyzer and exhaust gas system, microelectronic component, dental implant, solar cell, micromechanical and medical technical component, piezotechnical-equipped micro component, amorphous silicon, lead-zirkonate-titanium and hard material for a tool, and for manufacturing a metallic oxide, oxide layer, nitride layer, carbon contained layer for tribological-, electrical-, optical-, electromechanical-, electro optical-, medical and catalytic applications, and for use as a barrier-and corrosion protection layer, during sputtering of a gas stream for coating an article, transparent scratch protection layer, transparent conductive coating and solid oxide fuel cell (all claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The shield is distanced to the passive surface in the boundary area under formation of the boundary gap, and the boundary area is adjacent to the active surface, thus avoiding unintentional removal of material by additional discharging processes to use electrical energy, and preventing non-uniform heat expansion of the cathode and a housing. The shield is distanced to the passive surface in the boundary area under formation of the boundary gap, thus avoiding occurrence of electrical short circuit that is caused by increased electrical field density between the cathode and the shield in a reliable manner, and hence avoiding coating or surface changes of the insulator material layer and plasma-instability.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a sectional view of a shield and a cathode surface of a hollow cathode plasma source, in which the boundary area is formed by a level in an insulator material layer.    Hollow cathode (1)    Active surface (2)    Passive surface (3)    Plasma (5)    Insulator material layer (6)    Boundary gap (7)