Negative ion rich plasmas in continuous and pulsed wave modes in a minimum-B magnetic field

Abstract

Generation of hydrogen negative ion rich plasmas is investigated in continuous wave (CW) and pulse modulated (PM) wave modes of 2.45 GHz in a minimum-B magnetic field. The waves are launched directly into the plasma device and utilize wave particle resonances for high density plasma generation. In CW operation, the chamber is divided into two sections, namely, the source and downstream region, separated by a transverse magnetic field that allows only cold electrons (∼1 eV) into the downstream region helpful for the generation of negative ions. The H− density is measured by the second derivative beat method and is compared with the values obtained from a steady state model and the extracted current density. In the pulsed mode, temporal filtering generates negative ion rich plasmas in the afterglow phase. The H− density in the afterglow is estimated using saturation current ratio method and the results are compared with a time dependent model using particle balance equations. The essential idea in both the filtering techniques is to assist generation of negative ions and prevent its destruction by hot electrons.