AVS 56th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Plasma Science and Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session PS-ThP

Paper PS-ThP9
Time Resolved Energy Distributions for Positive Ions in an Inductively-Coupled Plasma Reactor

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 6:00 pm, Room Hall 3

Session: Plasma Science Poster Session
Presenter: J.A. Rees, Hiden Analytical, UK
Authors: J.A. Rees, Hiden Analytical, UK
C.L. Greenwood, Hiden Analytical, UK
D.L. Seymour, Hiden Analytical, UK
Correspondent: Click to Email
The energy distributions of positive ions created in an inductively–coupled plasma have been examined using a Hiden EQP mass/energy analyzer. Time-averaged distributions were measured with and without the presence of a Faraday shield between the external RF excitation coil and the glass wall of the reactor. With the shield in position, the coupling of power into the plasma was purely inductive, but without it there was a significant capacitive contribution. The time-average distributions were measured both for continuous power applied to the plasma and for the case where the RF supply was pulsed. For this latter series of experiments, time-resolved distributions were also measured, and the decay in the energies of the ions as a function of time in the afterglow of the plasma was examined. The time-resolved data were obtained by gating the operation of the EQP analyzer either at the ion-counting detector of the instrument or, alternatively, by pulsing a grid mounted behind the sampling orifice of the instrument. The measured energy distributions were independent of the gating method. The distributions for the inductively-coupled and inductive/capacitive coupling are compared.