Application of argon collisional-radiative model for inductive RF discharge research

Abstract

The technique of optical emission spectroscopy (OES) in combination with plasma emission models for determining the parameters of a gas discharge is presented. Measurements of charge carrier concentration and electron temperature in an inductively coupled RF plasma of argon are carried out under low pressure. The concentration and temperature of electrons were determined by selecting the ratio of the intensities of the spectral lines calculated with the collision-radiative model (CRM) to the intensities of the lines obtained in the experiment. The model describes the kinetics of the first 30 excited states of argon and takes into account the following processes: direct electron impact excitation / relaxation, spontaneous emission, radiation trapping, electron impact ionization and charge loss due to diffusion on the walls. The obtained OES results were compared with the results of Langmuir probe measurements of plasma parameters.