Abstract
Measurements of the electrical characteristics of radio-frequency (rf) discharges can be subject to large errors due to limitations in the measurement instruments and the stray impedance of the discharge cell. This study reports electrical measurements of argon discharges in the GEC Reference Cell in which special care has been taken to identify and minimize these sources of error. Careful calibration of current and voltage probes was found to be essential. In addition, parasitic impedances in the cell were found to be large, sensitive to minor changes in electrical connections, and not adequately described by simple a priori models. A general technique for characterizing the stray impedance, including an analysis of the propagation of errors, is presented here. This technique assures accurate results with specified uncertainties. Error analysis demonstrated that large gains in the precision of the measurements can be obtained using an inductive shunt circuit. Together, these techniques should improve the utility of electrical measurements for gauging the reproducibility of plasma conditions among rf discharge cells, for testing theoretical results, and for monitoring plasma processing.
Published Version
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