Abstract
The presented sensor for neutral oxygen atom measurement in oxygen plasma is a catalytic probe which uses fiber optics and infrared detection system to measure the gray body radiation of the catalyst. The density of neutral atoms can be determined from the temperature curve of the probe, because the catalyst is heated predominantly by the dissipation of energy caused by the heterogeneous surface recombination of neutral atoms. The advantages of this sensor are that it is simple, reliable, easy to use, noninvasive, quantitative and can be used in plasma discharge regions. By using different catalyst materials the sensor can also be applied for detection of neutral atoms in other plasmas. Sensor design, operation, example measurements and new measurement procedure for systematic characterization are presented.
Highlights
The importance of neutral atoms as a reactive particle in modern sciences is increasing
A typical neutral oxygen atom density in low pressure oxygen plasmas is around 1021 m−3 [11,12,13,14]
The EM interference reduction for the case of fiber optic catalytic probe (FOCP) probe is proved in the article, where a comparison of fiber optics and standard nickel catalytic probes was made by the inventors of FOCP [24]
Summary
The importance of neutral atoms as a reactive particle in modern sciences is increasing. Actinometry is basically optical emission spectroscopy, where a comparison between the intensities of two emission lines, one suitable oxygen emission line and a noble gas (usually argon) emission line, determines O-atom density In this gas mixture the density of noble gas atoms is known and with the use of intensities ratio we can calculate the density of neutral O-atoms. This method is very popular since it is noninvasive and the equipment is not so expensive, but actinometry is based on an assumption that is usually questionable: it predicts that oxygen atoms are directly excited to a radiative state by electron impact excitation from the ground state. The EM interference reduction for the case of FOCP probe is proved in the article, where a comparison of fiber optics and standard nickel catalytic probes was made by the inventors of FOCP [24]
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