Determination of N and O-Atoms, of N&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;(A) and N&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;(X, v &amp;gt; 13) Metastable Molecules and N&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sup style=&amp;quot;margin-left:-6px;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;+&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; Ion Densities in the Afterglows of Ar-N&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; Microwave Discharges

Andre Ricard,Hayat Zerrouki,Jean-Philippe Sarrette

doi:10.4236/jasmi.2015.54007

Determination of N and O-Atoms, of N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;(A) and N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;(X, v &gt; 13) Metastable Molecules and N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup style=&quot;margin-left:-6px;&quot;&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt; Ion Densities in the Afterglows of Ar-N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Microwave Discharges

Andre Ricard, Hayat Zerrouki + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4236/jasmi.2015.54007

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Abstract

Early afterglows of Ar-N2 flowing microwave discharges are characterized by optical emission spectroscopy. The N and O atoms, the N2(A) and N2(X, v > 13) metastable molecules and N2+ ion densities are determined by optical emission spectroscopy after calibration by NO titration for N and O-atoms and measurements of NO and N2 band intensities. For an Ar-xN2 gas mixture with × increasing from 2 to 100% at 4 Torr, 100 Watt and an afterglow time of 3 × 10- 3 s at the 5 liter reactor inlet, it is found densities in the ranges of (2 - 6) × 1014 cm- 3 for N-atoms, one order of magnitude lower for N2(X, v > 13) and for O-atoms (coming from air impurity), of 1010 - 1011 cm- 3 for N2(A) and of 108 - 109 cm- 3 for N2+.

Highlights

Afterglows of N2 flowing microwave discharges have been studied at medium gas pressures (1 - 20 Torr) for sterilization of medical instruments by N-atoms [1] [2]
Densities of N and O atoms, N2(A) and N2(X, v > 13) metastable molecules and
+ 2 ions have been determined in Ar-N2 early afterglows of flowing microwave discharges at 1 slm, 4 Torr, afterglow time of 3 × 10−3 s and 100 W, after NO calibration

Summary

Introduction

Afterglows of N2 flowing microwave discharges have been studied at medium gas pressures (1 - 20 Torr) for sterilization of medical instruments by N-atoms [1] [2]. Ion Densities in the Afterglows of Ar-N2 Microwave Discharges. It is mentioned here that in the present measurements of flowing afterglow, the Ar metastable atoms have disappeared after collisions on the tube wall (destruction probability of about 1). The early flowing afterglows produced from Ar-N2 microwave plasmas are presently studied by emission spectroscopy with the same experimental methods as in N2-H2 RF afterglow [4] [5], in N2, N2-O2 [6] and in. The O-atoms are coming from air impurity in the discharge

Experimental Setup and NO Titration

N-Atom Density

Density of O-Atoms in Impurity in the Ar-N2 Early Afterglow

Density of

Interest of Ar-N2 Gas Mixture for Surface Treatments

Conclusions