Abstract
Inductive plasma discharge has been a part of continuous investigations since it was discovered. Especially the E- to H-mode transition and the hysteresis behavior have been topics of research in the last few decades. In this paper, we demonstrate a way to reduce the hysteresis behavior by the usage of a microwave ignition system. With this system, a significant decrease of the needed coil current for the ignition of the inductive driven plasma is realized. For the microwave generation, a magnetron as in a conventional microwave oven is used, which offers a relatively inexpensive way for microwave ignition aid. At the measured pressure of 7.5 Pa, it was possible to reduce the needed coil current for the inductive mode transition by a factor of 3.75 compared to the mode transition current without the ignition aid. This was achieved by initiating the transition by a few seconds of microwave coupling. The performed simulations suggested that the factor can be further increased at higher pressures. That is especially interesting for plasmas that are hard to ignite or for RF-sources that cannot deliver high enough currents or frequencies for the ignition.
Highlights
Inductively-coupled plasmas (ICPs) are applied in a wide range of areas, from surface treatment to lighting applications
The results showed that due to the microwave ignition aid, the high frequency power source needs to deliver only the minimum maintenance current for the plasma ignition at a defined pressure
Theignition coil current was slowly increased until the plasma mode transition occur
Summary
Inductively-coupled plasmas (ICPs) are applied in a wide range of areas, from surface treatment to lighting applications. Compared to the commonly-used frequency of 13.56 MHz, the needed coil currents for the ignition of. The size of the coil used and the material that has to be ionized for the discharge are parameters with a large influence on the ignition current [2,3,4]. The ignition behavior of this kind of plasma is investigated. A conventional magnetron was used for an additional power coupling to reduce the hysteresis behavior during the E- to H-mode transition. The results showed that due to the microwave ignition aid, the high frequency power source needs to deliver only the minimum maintenance current for the plasma ignition at a defined pressure
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