Features of particle excitation in high-frequency capacitive discharge

Abstract

The efficiencies of excitation of different atomic and molecular levels of a gaseous medium by a low-current high-frequency capacitive discharge (HFCD) and a dc discharge are compared theoretically. It is shown that for transitions between lower vibrational levels of molecules an increase in spectral line intensity by a factor of 1.2–1.6 is observed, and for neon transitions from high-lying levels, by a factor of 1.5–3.0. The stability of low-current HFCD is experimentally investigated for different configurations of gas-discharge gaps. The results of these investigations are used in developing compact planar and coaxial HFCD lasers.