Langmuir probe data analysis for a magnetized inductive radio-frequency discharge

摘要

The properties of an inductively coupled argon plasma in a uniform magnetic field, at pressures of the order of 0.1 Pa, in the presence of a weak current-free electric double layer, are measured with a plane Langmuir probe. The static current-voltage probe characteristics, recorded on the symmetry axis of the experimental device, both in the plasma source and in the main chamber of the setup, showed the existence of two electron populations with different temperatures. The axial profiles of plasma parameters, such as the plasma potential and the cold and hot electron temperatures, offered a new insight into such a complex system. However, both the external magnetic field and the two electron populations contribute to the difficulty of calculation of the local plasma density. A method for solving this problem, involving the definition of an effective electron temperature, is also presented.