Double flush-mounted probe diagnostics and data analysis technique for argon glow discharge plasma.

Abstract

In this work, a double flush-mounted probe for measuring plasma parameters was designed and fabricated. The method to determine the plasma density and electron temperature using a floating double flush-mounted probe was characterized. To validate this method, the measurement results in an argon glow discharge plasma, including the electron density and temperature measurements, were compared with those obtained using a single probe and a double probe. Results indicate that the electron density measured using the double flush-mounted probe agrees well with those measured using other probes; the effective electron temperature values are also consistent within the admissible error range. These results suggest that the double flush-mounted probe can be used for accurate measurements at low pressure DC plasma discharges and also can be applied to other complex plasmas such as tokamaks, in the boundary-layer region without a reference electrode.