Thomson scattering diagnostics and computational modeling of a low pressure microwave excited microplasma source

摘要

Low-pressure microwave-excited microplasmas¹ are promising sources of VUV photons for a variety of applications, including photoionization for mass spectrometry. A split-ring resonator microstrip architecture can be used to initiate and sustain these microplasmas using the extremely high electric field generated in the sub-millimeter gap between electrodes. The VUV flux, primarily the result of resonance radiation following electronic excitation of rare gas atoms, is a sensitive function of the distribution of electron energies. Direct measurement of the electron energy distribution (EED) could provide critical insight into the physics of the microplasma operation.