Microwave Diagnostics of the Electron Density in Molecular Mixture Plasmas

The electron density in the positive column of DC glow discharges has been determined by means of an improved method of the microwave diagnostics. This method is based on the measurement of both the resonance frequency shift of the resonator cavity and the change of the inverse resonator quality. It makes explicit use of the associated phase delay between the microwave field and the induced HF electric current. To evaluate the applicability of the method and of a simplified version of it to complex molecular mixture plasmas, the electron density in CO₂ CO/O₂ mixture plasmas has been measured for larger ranges of gas pressure and discharge current. The applicability check is made by a comparison between measured and calculated results for the phase delay. The good agreement between experimental and theoretical results supplies evidence for a far‐reaching applicability of the simplified version of the improved microwave diagnostics method that allows the determination of the electron density without detailed information about the plasma composition and the electron energy distribution. The theoretical determination of the phase delay has been done by solving the time‐dependent electron Boltzmann equation. Two different techniques have been employed to solve this kinetic equation. In particular, the conventional two‐term treatment has been analysed with respect to its suitability to molecular gas mixtures and has been found to be sufficient for the determination of the phase delay.     

电磁波在非磁化等离子体中衰减效应的实验研究

针对等离子体隐身技术在航空航天领域的良好应用前景, 开展垂直入射到具有金属衬底的非磁化等离子体中电磁波衰减特性的理论与实验研究. 利用WKB方法对电磁波衰减随等离子体参数的变化规律进行了理论分析. 利用射频电感耦合放电方式产生稳定的大面积等离子体层, 搭建了等离子体反射率弓形测试系统, 进行了电磁波在非磁化等离子体中衰减效应的实验研究. 利用微波相位法和光谱诊断法, 得到不同放电功率下的等离子体电子密度, 其范围为8.17×10⁹–7.61× 10¹⁰ cm^-3. 本实验获得的等离子体可以使2.7 GHz 和10.1 GHz电磁波分别得到一定的衰减, 且电磁波衰减的理论与实验结果符合较好. 结果表明, 提高等离子体电子密度和覆盖均匀性有利于增强等离子体对电磁波的衰减效果.     

Relationship Between the Number Density and the Phase Shift in Microwave Interferometry for Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas

Diagnosing atmospheric pressure discharges requires more sophisticated techniques than for low pressure plasmas. The plasma number density is a crucial parameter in several applications. Langmuir probe as a number density measuring technique is not applicable at high pressures because the electron mean free path is shorter than the Debye distance. Microwave interferometry appears to be an effective diagnostic technique in this case. However, because of the high collisionality of atmospheric pressure plasmas, the relationship between the phase shift, as measured by a microwave interferometer, and the plasma number density is not straightforward, as is the case in collisionless plasmas. For the special case of a uniform discharge, the plasma number density is found to depend on the square root of the phase shift.     

Behaviour of fully ionized seed plasma excited by microwave

Nonequilibrium plasmas with cesium metal vapor ionization in helium and argon gases at moderate pressures are excited with microwave power. The structures and behaviour of the seeded plasmas are experimentally examined, particularly under the condition of Full seed (cesium atoms) ionization. By cesium seeding, the minimum power sustaining the plasma is reduced markedly, and both a broad plasma observed in pure helium and unsteady filament-like plasmas in pure argon change to the steady and broad plasma locating close to the inner surface of a discharge tube, it is revealed from the electron temperature measurements that the plasma can be in the regime of full seed ionization for suitable microwave powers, where the electron density is kept almost constant. The thickness of the fully ionized seed (FIS) plasma decreases with increasing the mole fraction of cesium vapor, and is almost independent of noble gas pressure. The thickness almost coincides with the skin depth determined from the electrical conductivity almost uniform in the FIS plasma. These facts suggest that the FIS plasma will be easily produced and maintained as long as the microwave power is consumed to the electron heating     

Modeling of argon discharge characteristics of planar-type surface wave plasmas in an electron fluid model

The planar-type surface wave plasma (SWP) device permits the generation of high-density and uniform processing plasmas via 2.45-GHz microwave power without the application of an external magnetic field. In the present study, the discharge characteristics in the SWP device were analyzed using a two-dimensional numerical simulation code, and the results were compared with experimental observations. The simulation code is based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for the microwave field and on the electron fluid model for the argon discharge plasma. Experimental measurements were performed, and they showed that the surface-wave discharge at a filling pressure of 10-100 mtorr has characteristic electron-density distributions that have a peak at approximately 2 cm from the surface. This characteristic of the electron density profiles, as well as the electron temperature profiles in the plasma, is reproduced by the simulation code, albeit with some discrepancies. In order to reduce the effects of these discrepancies, intentional changes in the electron heat conductivity were introduced, and the adiabatic assumption was found to result in a reasonable electron temperature profile. The effects of the alumina window thickness were also investigated in the simulation.     

A Model for the Bulk Plasma in an RF Chlorne Discharge

A model has been constructed to describe the electrical characteristics of the central bulk plasma region in a 13.56-MHz parallel-plate discharge in chlorine at pressures of about 1 torr. This region is modeled as a volume-controlled plasma with the electron balance dominated by single-step electron-impact ionization and attachment and with the electron energy distribution function in equilibrium with the local instantaneous electric field. Relationships between the ionization frequency, the attachment frequency, the electron drift velocity, and the electric field are provided by solutions of the Boltzmann equation for mixtures of Cl2 and Cl which result from Cl2 dissociation. From a measured current waveform and Cl2/Cl density ratio, the model generates the local electric-field waveform, the time-varying electron density, and the power density in the central portion of the bulk plasma. The calculated time-averaged power input per unit discharge length compares well with experimentally determined values.     

脉冲射频容性耦合氩等离子体的发射探针诊断

利用工作在浮点模式下的发射探针,对500 Hz脉冲调制的27.12 MHz容性耦合氩气等离子体的空间电位和电子温度的时变特性进行了诊断.等离子体空间电位是通过测量强热状态下的发射探针电位获得的,而电子温度则是由发射探针在冷、热状态下的电位差来估算得到.测量结果表明:脉冲开启时,空间电位会快速上升并在300μs内趋于饱和;当脉冲关断后,空间电位经历了快速下降后趋于稳定的过程.电子温度在脉冲开启时存在过冲并趋于稳定的特征;而在脉冲关断期间,电子温度在300μs内则快速下降到0.45 e V后略有上升.无论在脉冲开启或关断期间,空间电位基本上都随功率和气压的变化存在有线性的依赖关系;而放电功率对脉冲开启期间过冲电子温度与稳态电子温度差异的影响较大.针对空间电位和电子温度在各阶段及不同放电条件下的时变特性,给出了相应的解释.     

开放空间等离子体对微波传输影响的模拟研究

以氮气为背景气体,采用脉冲式微波产生等离子体,使用另外一束连续波作为传输模拟对象,并基于扩散效应的全域模型分析等离子体电子温度与电子密度的演化过程。实验中放电气压为300Pa,实验结果表明:在微波脉冲开始之后极短的时间内,连续波接受信号发生剧烈衰减;而在微波脉冲结束后,连续波接受信号则缓慢恢复。微波传输主要受到等离子体电子密度的影响,而全域模型的计算结果显示等离子体电子密度在开始放电时迅速上升,甚至高于放电微波频率对应的临界密度,在放电微波脉冲结束时电子密度则缓慢下降。这说明开放空间中等离子体在失去能量维持之后,由于扩散效应占主导作用,电子密度不会迅速下降,此时连续波依然会被阻碍,直到电子密度下降到连续波频率对应的临界密度以下。     

微波电子回旋共振等离子体阴极电子束的实验研究

介绍了实验室研制的微波电子回旋共振(ECR)等离子体阴极电子束系统及初步研究结果，该系统包括微波ECR 等离子体源、电子束引出极、聚焦线圈等。通过测量水冷靶电流和靶上的束斑尺寸，实验研究了微波ECR 等离子体阴极电子束的流强、聚束性能等随电子束系统工作条件的变化。结果表明：微波输入功率越高、引出电压越高，引出电子束流强越大；工作气压对电子束流强的影响较复杂，随气压增加呈现出先降低后升高的特点；在7×10⁻⁴Pa 的极低气压下电子束流强可达75mA，引出电压9kV；能量利用率可达0.6；调整聚焦线圈的驱动电流，电子束的束斑直径从20mm 减小到13mm，电子束流强未有明显变化。     

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The generation and control of microwave electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma cathode electron beam is studied experimentally. A complete set of discharge, electron beam extraction, focusing and measuring system was set up. The characteristics and performance of microwave ECR plasmas as electron beam extraction source were studied by measuring the current of water cooling target and the beam spot size on the target. Experimental results indicated that both microwave input power and accelerating voltage are conducive to improving electron beam current. The influence of gas pressure on the electron beam current was complex. With the increase of gas pressure, the electron beam current is characterized by decreasing first and then increasing. The extracted electron current of microwave ECR plasma cathode can reach 75mA at gas pressure of 7×10⁻⁴Pa, and the energy of the electron beam can reach 9keV. The energy utilization can reach 0.6. By adjusting the current of the focusing coil, the diameter of electron beam spot is reduced from 20mm to 13mm and the electron beam current keeps the value unchanged.     

Calculation of parameters of krypton plasma excited by electron beam with additional heating by high-frequency electric field

The electron energy-distribution functions, the rates of plasmochemical reactions, and the densities of various plasma components have been calculated for a microwave discharge (f = 1000 MHz, P = 100–700 mW) in krypton plasma (p = 0.5 atm) excited by an electron beam with an energy of 12 keV. It has been found that the heating by a microwave field shifts the peak of the electron energy-distribution function (EEDF) from 0.5 to 2 eV, which leads to higher rates of reactions with excitation thresholds lying near the EEDF peak. As a result, the population of excited levels increases by two to three times.     

Floating double probe characteristics of non-thermal plasmas in the presence of zeolite

The combination of catalyst and non-thermal plasmas has led to some unusual chemical behaviors, especially with zeolite catalyst. A mechanism has been proposed to explain the observed interaction between catalyst and non-thermal plasmas. This mechanism includes two aspects: plasma promoted or induced catalysis and catalyst enhanced non-equilibrium of non-thermal plasmas. In this paper, we present some direct experimental evidence for the catalyst (zeolite)-enhanced non-equilibrium of non-thermal plasmas suggesting the use of zeolite increases, significantly, the electron temperature of non-thermal plasmas, while the gas temperature remains unchanged. A floating double-probe characteristic has been utilized to measure the electron temperature. Compared to the case without zeolite, the electron temperature of non-thermal plasmas with Mo-Zn/HZSM-5 increases up to 250%, while, at the same time, the discharge power reduces 58%, compared to that without zeolite.     

Analysis of the Kinetic Properties and the Energy Budget of the Electrons in the Ar?Hg Glow Discharge Plasma at Varying Partial Pressures and Discharge Currents

By simultaneously solving the Boltzmann equation and the current balance for the electrons the energy distribution function, the electron concentration and resulting macroscopic electron quantities were calculated for the Ar? Hg mixture plasma under conditions typical of fluorescent lamps. Besides the usual external parameters of such diffusion determined discharge plasmas measured values of the electric field strength were employed. The investigations were performed for independent variation of the partial pressures of Ar and Hg as well as of the discharge current in wide ranges of practical interest. The results obtained are discussed and compared with various energy distributions employed up to now and measured values of the electron concentration and temperature as well as with experimental results on the energy budget of this mixture plasma available in the literature.     

Effective area of energy interactions between the plasma of a deeply subcritical microwave discharge and its initiating electromagnetic field

Experiments on initiating electrical air discharge in an airtight radiotransparent volume have been described. The discharge is initiated by a quasi-optical linearly polarized microwave beam with a deeply subcritical field by means of an electromagnetic vibrator mounted above a screen. The results make it possible to calculate the effective area of energy interaction between the plasma of the discharge and its initiating microwave field. It has been shown that this area considerably exceeds the cross-sectional area of the discharge.     

110 GHz微波电离大气产生等离子体过程的理论研究

将描述电磁波的Maxwell方程组和简化的等离子体流体方程组耦合数值求解,对110 GHz微波电离大气产生等离子体的过程进行了理论研究. 研究发现:在高气压下等离子体成丝状;中等气压下等离子体先成丝状,在向微波源移动的过程中逐渐向连续的等离子体区域过渡;低气压下电离产生连续的等离子体区域. 不同气压下等离子体区域都向微波源方向移动. 初始电子数密度分布只影响放电初始阶段的等离子体区域形状,不会影响成丝与否. 等离子体区域在垂直于电场方向和平行于电场方向的移动规律不同. 当电场平行于计算平面时,由于沿着电场方向等离子体两端存在强场区,等离子体区域被拉长,在较低的气压下会出现等离子体丝阵. 关键词： 110 GHz微波 大气电离 等离子体丝阵     

悬浮型微波共振探针在电负性容性耦合等离子体中电子密度的测量

本文首先利用悬浮型微波共振探针测量了Ar等离子体的电子密度,并与朗缪尔双探针的测量结果进行了比较,表明了微波共振探针在低密度等离子体测量的可行性.对40.68 MHz单射频容性耦合Ar/SF₆和SF₆/O₂等离子体的测量结果表明:电负性气体SF₆掺入Ar等离子体显著降低了等离子体电子密度,但随着增加SF₆的流量,电子密度表现为缓慢下降;而O₂掺入SF₆等离子体中,电子密度则随着O₂流量的增加表现为持续的下降.另外,40.68 MHz/13.56 MHz双频激发的SF₆/O₂容性耦合离子体的电子密度并不随低频功率的变化而变化.本文对上述的实验现象进行了初步的解释.     

高功率微波输出窗内侧击穿动力学的PIC/MCC模拟研究

高功率微波在受控热核聚变加热、微波高梯度加速器、高功率雷达、定向能武器、超级干扰机及冲击雷达等方面有着重要的应用.本文针对高功率微波输出窗内侧氩气放电击穿过程,建立了二次电子倍增和气体电离的一维空间分布、三维速度分布（1D3V）模型,并开发了相应的PIC/MC程序代码.研究了气压、微波频率、微波振幅对放电击穿的影响.结果表明：在真空情况下,介质窗放电击穿只存在二次电子倍增过程;在低气压和稍高气压时,二次电子倍增和气体电离共存;在极高气压时,气体电离占主导.给出了不同气压下电子、离子的密度和静电场的空间分布.此外还观察到,在500 mTorr时,随着微波振幅或微波频率的变化,气体电离出现的时刻和电离产生的等离子体峰值位置有较大差异,尤其是当微波频率（GHz）在数值上是微波振幅（MV/m）的2倍时,气体电离出现的较早.     

Results of vacuum cleaning techniques on the performance of LiFfield-threshold ion sources on extraction applied-B ion diodes at 1-10TW

Uncontrolled plasma formation on electrode surfaces limits performance in a wide variety of pulsed power devices such as electron and ion diodes, transmission lines, radio frequency (RF) cavities, and microwave devices. Surface and bulk contaminants on the electrodes in vacuum dominate the composition of these plasmas, formed through processes such as stimulated and thermal desorption followed by ionization. We are applying RF discharge cleaning, anode heating, cathode cooling, and substrate surface coatings to the control of the effects of these plasmas in the particular case of applied-B ion diodes on the SABRE (1 TW) and PBFA-X (30 TW) accelerators. Evidence shows that our LiF ion source provides a 200-700 A/cm² lithium beam for 10-20 ns which is then replaced by a contaminant beam of protons and carbon. Other ion sources show similar behavior. Our electrode surface and substrate cleaning techniques reduce beam contamination, anode and cathode plasma formation, delay impedance collapse, and increase lithium energy, power, and production efficiency. Theoretical and simulation models of electron-stimulated and thermal-contaminant desorption leading to anode plasma formation show agreement with many features from experiment. Decrease of the diode electron loss by changing the shape and magnitude of the insulating magnetic field profiles increases the lithium output and changes the diode response to cleaning. We also show that the LiF films are permeable, allowing substrate contaminants to affect diode behavior. Substrate coatings of Ta and Au underneath the LiF film allow some measure of control of substrate contaminants, and provide direct evidence for thermal desorption. We have increased lithium current density by a factor of four and lithium energy by a factor of five through a combination of in situ surface and substrate cleaning, substrate coatings, and field profile modifications     

开放空间重复频率微波脉冲击穿概率理论与实验研究

综合考虑有效初始电子产生理论、雪崩电子击穿理论等过程中的击穿延迟时间,探讨了开放空间微波脉冲的击穿延时概率分布,提出了重复频率微波脉冲击穿概率模型,定义了基于概率模型的微波脉冲击穿阈值。利用S波段微波准光学反射聚焦系统对一定气压大气击穿过程进行了模拟,监测击穿放电发光时刻作为击穿时间,分别在铯137放射源存在与否情况下开展了系列实验。研究结果表明,提高种子电子产生率相较于提高电离率是增大脉冲击穿概率更有效的方法;重复频率过程中,若存在累积效应,击穿延时概率分布曲线将左移并趋于稳定,击穿后的气体在短时间内容易再次击穿。     

微波液相等离子体发射光谱研究

为了研究微波液相放电等离子体的基本物理现象和放电特性,为微波液相放电技术奠定一定的理论基础,利用发射光谱仪对水中微波液相放电及放电中产生的活性粒子进行了检测,同时对微波液相放电光谱数据统计方法进行了研究。 利用发射光谱仪结合数控摄像机对微波液相放电过程中起始放电和稳定放电两个过程进行了同步检测拍摄。 实验结果发现：微波液相等离子体发射光谱强度波动较大,光谱强度可以用10个光谱数据点进行平均计算;放电的强度在一定程度上可以由等离子体区域面积所反映,尽管如此,等离子体区域面积和羟基自由基发射光谱强度的变化梯度并不一致,这主要是因为在放电过程中,放电强度不仅体现在等离子体区域面积,同时也与等离子体区域的亮度有关。