Low energy electron heating and evolution of the electron energy distribution by diluted O{sub 2} in an inductive Ar/O{sub 2} mixture discharge

Journal Article · Fri Jan 15 04:00:00 EST 2010 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3266418· OSTI ID:21344674

Lee, Hyo-Chang; Lee, Min-Hyong; Chung, Chin-Wook ^[1]

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1. Department of Electrical Engineering, Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of)

A remarkable increase in electron temperature with diluted O{sub 2} gas was observed in a low pressure Ar/O{sub 2} mixture inductive discharge from the measurement of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF). At a pure Ar gas discharge of 3 mTorr and 100 W, the measured EEDF had a bi-Maxwellian distribution with two electron temperature groups. However, as the O{sub 2} flow rate increased with fixing total gas pressure, a significant increase in the low energy electron temperature was observed. Finally, the EEDF evolved from a bi-Maxwellian to a Maxwellian distribution. These results can be understood by an efficient low energy electron heating from both an enhanced collisionless and a collisional heating mechanism because of increases of both skin depth and the elastic collision with the non-Ramsauer gas, O{sub 2}. These experiments were also studied with different ICP power and Ar/He mixture.

• OSTI ID: 21344674
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 17; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ARGON
COLLISIONAL HEATING
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SPECTRA
FERMIONS
FLUIDS
GASES
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
LEPTONS
MAGNETIC-PUMPING HEATING
MIXTURES
NONMETALS
OXYGEN
PLASMA
PLASMA HEATING
RARE GASES
SPECTRA
THERMODYNAMICS