Langmuir probe diagnostics of electron energy distributions with optical emission spectroscopy in capacitively coupled rf discharge in nitrogen
- Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519 (Egypt)
- University of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, PO Box MG11, 077125 Magurele (Romania)
- Department of Electronics and Information Engineering, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501 (Japan)
Measurements with a rf compensated Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy are carried out in capacitively coupled rf (13.56 MHz) pure nitrogen N{sub 2} discharges at fixed rf voltage over a wide range of pressure, 30 to 400 mTorr. The electron energy probability function (EEPF) measured below 100 mTorr resembles a bi-Maxwellian-type distribution. At pressure range of 100-200 mTorr, the EEPF has non-Maxwellian distribution with a ''dip'' near 4.5 eV. At the highest pressure of 400 mTorr, the EEPF evolves into a Druyvestein-like distribution and the ''dip'' disappears. The electron density significantly decreases with increase in the N{sub 2} pressure. On the other hand, the electron temperatures gradually decrease with an increase in N{sub 2} pressure, reaching minimum at 150 mTorr, beyond which it abruptly increases. Such evolution of the EEPFs shape with gas pressure has been discussed in terms of non-local electron kinetics and heating mode transition. The emission intensities of nitrogen (0-0) band of second positive system at 337.1 nm and (0-0) band of first negative systems at 391.4 nm are used to determine the dependence of their radiative states N{sub 2}(C{sup 3}{Pi}{sub u}) and N{sub 2}{sup +}(B{sup 2}{Sigma}{sub u}{sup +}) with nitrogen pressure. It is observed that the pressure influences the radiative states differently owing to their different populating mechanisms. The vibrational temperature T{sub {nu}ib} and rotational temperature T{sub rot} are measured for the sequence ({Delta}{nu}=-2) of N{sub 2} second positive system (C{sup 3}{Pi}{yields}B{sup 3}{Pi}{sub g}) using the method of comparing the measured and calculated spectra with a chi-squared minimization procedure. It was found that both T{sub {nu}ib} and T{sub rot} have similar dependences with N{sub 2} pressure; peaked at 100 mTorr beyond which it monotonically decreases with increase in the N{sub 2} pressure. The correlation between the observed maximum value of T{sub {nu}ib} around 100 mTorr and the detected ''dip'' in the EEPF in the same pressure range has been discussed.
- OSTI ID:
- 22036781
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 110, Issue 11; Other Information: (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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