Observations on the use of the microwave-boosted glow discharge lamp and the relevant excitation processes

Abstract

Observations on the operation of a microwave-boosted glow discharge lamp (GDL), designed for analytical use, and based on the Grimm GDL are reported for copper samples with argon as the carrier gas; factors affecting the choice of optimum parameters are discussed. The spectra, excited with and without the supplementary microwave discharge are compared. The changes observed in the Cu II spectrum are consistent with the excitation of the upper levels by charge transfer processes. It is suggested that the effects observed in the Cu I spectrum indicate that ion recombination is the major source of excited atoms.