https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap/2013120324
Nitrogen dissociation and parametric study in a magnetic pole enhanced inductively coupled Ar-N2 plasma (MaPE-ICP)
1
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan
2
Department of Physics, Gomal University, 29050
D.I. Khan, Pakistan
3
Institute of Physics and Electronics, University of Peshawar, 25120
Peshawar, Pakistan
4
National Tokamak Fusion Program, 3329
Islamabad, Pakistan
5
Department of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, 45230
Islamabad, Pakistan
a e-mail: abrar@upesh.edu.pk
Received:
12
August
2012
Revised:
11
March
2013
Accepted:
8
April
2013
Published online:
13
June
2013
Inductively coupled Ar-N2 plasma is characterized by Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The plasma parameters including electron temperature, electron number density and electron energy probability functions (EEPFs) are determined by the Langmuir probe for different discharge parameters such as rf power (10–100 W), filling pressure (0.02–0.4 mbar) and argon content (5–95%) in nitrogen discharge. Spectroscopic measurements enable the evaluation of active species concentration ([N],[N2]) in ground electronic state and dissociation fraction. Concentration of active species is increased with the increase in filling pressure in nitrogen discharge keeping argon as an actinometer. It is noticed that the actinometry is an efficient and reliable technique to calculate the concentration of ground electronic state of nitrogen species. Moreover, for different plasma conditions, the molecular dissociation fraction is enhanced, as the Ar content is increased from 5% to 95% in nitrogen discharge. It is found that that dissociation fraction strongly depends on filling pressure and Ar content in nitrogen discharge. Maximum dissociation is observed for 95% Ar at filling pressure of 0.06 mbar. It is also found that the plasma parameters and active species concentration significantly depend on discharge parameters and may be optimized by appropriate selection of discharge conditions.
© EDP Sciences, 2013
