Electron temperature and ion density measurements in a glow discharge of an Ar–N2 mixture

Abstract

A DC glow discharge produced in N2 gas can generate several species that are important in different applications, such as the modification of surface properties of materials. A low-pressure glow discharge apparatus was used for the the analysis of the Ar–N2 mixture at a total pressure of 2.0 Torr, a power of 20 W and 40 l/min flow rate of gases. The emission bands were measured in the wavelength range of 200–1100 nm. The principal elements are N2, N 2+ and Ar I. The electron temperature was found in the range of 1.72–2.08 eV, and the ion density was in the order of 1010 cm−3.