Overdense Plasma Production in a Low-power Microwave Discharge Electron Source

Abstract

Plasma characterization of a low-power microwave discharge electron source was conducted. The electron source, which was developed for the neutralization of the 150 mA-class ion beam exhausted from an ion thruster, consists of a small discharge chamber of 18 mm diameter, into which an L-shape antenna is directly inserted into the magnetic circuit comprised of permanent magnets and iron yokes. An overdense plasma production for the 4.2 GHz microwave was observed for an input power range from 3 to 26 W and for the mass flow rate of 0.5–2.0 sccm. In such a wide range, the plasma density inside the discharge chamber can be proportionally increased as the microwave input power. This is because the direct insertion of the microwave antenna into the ECR magnetic field removes the accessibility difficulty of the microwave, and enables energy transmission from the antenna to the plasma even in the overdense mode. In addition, high-energy electrons above the ionization energy were observed for the large microwave input power above 10 W, and these electrons from the antenna also contribute to plasma production.