Comparative Study of Influence of Experimental Configuration on Densities of Active Species in the Early Afterglows of N2/(0–2.5%)H2 HF Flowing Plasmas

Abstract

Afterglows of mixed gas of N2 and H2(0–2.5%) flowing microwave discharges in a 5 mm diameter tube connected to a 5 L reactor via a tube of 1.8 cm diameter and 50 cm long, have been studied using optical emission spectroscopy. The obtained results at the entrance of the afterglow tube of 1.8 cm diameter: Short time afterglow (SA), (10–3 s) and inside the 5 L reactor: Long time afterglow (LA), (10–2 s) were then compared. It was found that, in N2 at 2 Torr, 0.5 slpm, the active specie density ratios had a constant value of 10–2 for N/N2, but decreased respectively from 10–3 to 10–4 for N2 (X,v > 13)/N2 and from 10–6 to 10–8 for N+2 /N2. By directly connecting the discharge tube inside the 5 L reactor, the density increases by 10 for N2 (X,v > 13) and by 102 for N2+ by changing the afterglow from LA(10−2 s) to a SA(10–3 s). Moreover and by adding 1% of H2 to N2, the N/N2 and H/H2 ratios had constant values of 1% and 0.2% respectively. The SA(10–3 s) appeared to be more efficient for surface treatments than the LA (10–2 s).