Moderate pressure plasma source of nonthermal electrons
Abstract
Plasma sources of electrons offer control of gas and surface chemistry without the need for complex vacuum systems. The plasma electron source presented here is based on a cold cathode glow discharge (GD) operating in a dc steady state mode in a moderate pressure range of 2–10 torr. Ion-induced secondary electron emission is the source of electrons accelerated to high energies in the cathode sheath potential. The source geometry is a key to the availability and the extraction of the nonthermal portion of the electron population. The source consists of a flat and a cylindrical electrode, 1 mm apart. Our estimates show that the length of the cathode sheath in the plasma source is commensurate (~0.5–1 mm) with the inter-electrode distance so the GD operates in an obstructed regime without a positive column. Estimations of the electron energy relaxation confirm the non-local nature of this GD, hence the nonthermal portion of the electron population is available for extraction outside of the source. The use of a cylindrical anode presents a simple and promising method of extracting the high energy portion of the electron population. Langmuir probe measurements and optical emission spectroscopy confirm the presence of electrons with energies ~15 eVmore »
- Authors:
-
- Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1459552
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-09CH11466; 201506340040
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Physics. D, Applied Physics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 51; Journal Issue: 23; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3727
- Publisher:
- IOP Publishing
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; glow discharge; electron source; nonequilibrium plasma; nonlocal plasma; nonthermal electrons
Citation Formats
Gershman, S., and Raitses, Y. Moderate pressure plasma source of nonthermal electrons. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1088/1361-6463/aabfb1.
Gershman, S., & Raitses, Y. Moderate pressure plasma source of nonthermal electrons. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/aabfb1
Gershman, S., and Raitses, Y. Fri .
"Moderate pressure plasma source of nonthermal electrons". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/aabfb1. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1459552.
@article{osti_1459552,
title = {Moderate pressure plasma source of nonthermal electrons},
author = {Gershman, S. and Raitses, Y.},
abstractNote = {Plasma sources of electrons offer control of gas and surface chemistry without the need for complex vacuum systems. The plasma electron source presented here is based on a cold cathode glow discharge (GD) operating in a dc steady state mode in a moderate pressure range of 2–10 torr. Ion-induced secondary electron emission is the source of electrons accelerated to high energies in the cathode sheath potential. The source geometry is a key to the availability and the extraction of the nonthermal portion of the electron population. The source consists of a flat and a cylindrical electrode, 1 mm apart. Our estimates show that the length of the cathode sheath in the plasma source is commensurate (~0.5–1 mm) with the inter-electrode distance so the GD operates in an obstructed regime without a positive column. Estimations of the electron energy relaxation confirm the non-local nature of this GD, hence the nonthermal portion of the electron population is available for extraction outside of the source. The use of a cylindrical anode presents a simple and promising method of extracting the high energy portion of the electron population. Langmuir probe measurements and optical emission spectroscopy confirm the presence of electrons with energies ~15 eV outside of the source. These electrons become available for surface modification and radical production outside of the source. In conclusion, the extraction of the electrons of specific energies by varying the anode geometry opens exciting opportunities for future exploration.},
doi = {10.1088/1361-6463/aabfb1},
journal = {Journal of Physics. D, Applied Physics},
number = 23,
volume = 51,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {4}
}
Web of Science
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