Spectroscopic study on a thermoelectron-enhanced microplasma jet
Abstract
An Ar thermoelectron-enhanced microplasma (TEMP) jet was characterized by spectroscopic study. The 1s5 lowest metastable densities at the core of the plasma and very close to the substrate, about 4 mm apart from the torch, were obtained successfully using laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) and laser induced evanescent-mode fluorescence spectroscopy (LIEF). For TEMP generated with 450 MHz, 5 W and 60 Torr, these densities were estimated to be about 3 × 1012 cm-3 and about 1010 cm-3, by the LAS and LIEF methods, respectively. Moreover, gaseous temperature was also estimated as about 700 K by the LAS method. Depopulation of the 1s5 metastable atoms might be caused primarily by gaseous diffusion between the torch and the substrate. Finally, we report a device with a TEMP generator at the top of a flexible fibre called the 'plasma fibre', which allows plasma processing in any location, as with laser processing using an optical fibre.
This article was due to be published in issue 23 of 2003. To access this special issue, please follow this link: http://www.iop.org/EJ/toc/0022-3727/36/23- Publication:
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Journal of Physics D Applied Physics
- Pub Date:
- February 2004
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0022-3727/37/3/023
- Bibcode:
- 2004JPhD...37..445I