Experimental study on controlled production of two-electron temperature plasma

Abstract

A two-electron temperature plasma is produced by the method of diffusion of two different plasmas with distinct temperatures and densities. The method is simple and provides an adequate control over the plasma parameters. The study reveals that the temperature and density of both the electron groups can be effectively controlled by just changing the discharge currents of both the plasmas. An ion-acoustic wave is excited in the plasma and is detected using a planar Langmuir probe. The damped amplitude of the wave is measured and is used as a diagnostic tool for establishing the presence of two-electron components. This production method can be helpful in controlling the hot electron density and temperature in plasma processing industries.