Capacitive-discharge VUV lamp based on a water-vapor–argon mixture

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study of the spectral characteristics of the plasma radiation (175–200 nm) of a pulse-periodic capacitive-discharge lamp that operates with a mixture of water vapor and argon. It is shown that capacitive discharge at low argon pressure is a broad-band source of vacuum ultraviolet radiation. The intensity of the emission bands of the capacitive-discharge plasma is optimized as a function of the partial pressures of argon and water vapor. The electron kinetic coefficients are calculated for a discharge in a mixture of argon and water vapor.