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Title: 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 · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3266418· OSTI ID:21344674
; ;  [1]
  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, Vol. 17, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3266418; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English