Chin. Phys. B ›› 2013, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (12): 125202-125202.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/22/12/125202

• PHYSICS OF GASES, PLASMAS, AND ELECTRIC DISCHARGES • 上一篇    下一篇

Determinations of plasma density and decay time in the hollow cathode discharge by microwave transmission

张林, 何锋, 李世超, 欧阳吉庭   

  1. School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
  • 收稿日期:2013-02-26 修回日期:2013-04-25 出版日期:2013-10-25 发布日期:2013-10-25
  • 基金资助:
    Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11005009).

Determinations of plasma density and decay time in the hollow cathode discharge by microwave transmission

Zhang Lin (张林), He Feng (何锋), Li Shi-Chao (李世超), Ouyang Ji-Ting (欧阳吉庭)   

  1. School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
  • Received:2013-02-26 Revised:2013-04-25 Online:2013-10-25 Published:2013-10-25
  • Contact: Ouyang Ji-Ting E-mail:jtouyang@bit.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11005009).

摘要: The microwave (MW) transmission method is employed to measure both the plasma density and the plasma decay time in the hollow cathode discharge (HCD) in argon at low pressure. The plasma density in DC-driven or pulsed HCD is on the order of 1012 cm-3, which can block the X-band MW effectively. In the case of pulsed HCD, the MW transmittance shows the same waveform as the pulsed current during the rising edge if the driving frequency is low, but with a longer delay during the falling edge. The MW transmittance reaches a constant low level when the driving frequency is high enough. The plasma decay time in the HCD system is measured to be about 100 μs around a pressure of 120 Pa. The ambipolar diffusion is considered to be the major mechanism in the decay process.

关键词: hollow cathode discharge, plasma density, plasma decay, microwave transmission

Abstract: The microwave (MW) transmission method is employed to measure both the plasma density and the plasma decay time in the hollow cathode discharge (HCD) in argon at low pressure. The plasma density in DC-driven or pulsed HCD is on the order of 1012 cm-3, which can block the X-band MW effectively. In the case of pulsed HCD, the MW transmittance shows the same waveform as the pulsed current during the rising edge if the driving frequency is low, but with a longer delay during the falling edge. The MW transmittance reaches a constant low level when the driving frequency is high enough. The plasma decay time in the HCD system is measured to be about 100 μs around a pressure of 120 Pa. The ambipolar diffusion is considered to be the major mechanism in the decay process.

Key words: hollow cathode discharge, plasma density, plasma decay, microwave transmission

中图分类号:  (Glow; corona)

  • 52.80.Hc
52.70.-m (Plasma diagnostic techniques and instrumentation)