Frequency dependence of electron temperature in hollow cathode-type discharge as measured by several different floating probe methods

Abstract

We measured electron temperatures through a hollow cathode-type discharge tube using several different floating probe methods. This method detected a shift in the floating potential when an AC voltage was applied to a probe through an intermediary blocking capacitor. The shift in the floating potential is described as a function of the electron temperature and the applied AC voltage. In this study, the effects of the frequency and waveform on the electron temperatures were systematically investigated. The electron temperature measured when using the floating probe method with applied sinusoidal and triangular voltages was lower than that measured with an applied rectangular voltage. The value in the high frequency range was close to that of the tail electron temperature.