Population densities and optical gain of VUV transitions of Cu II in Cu−He hollow cathode discharges

Population densities of excited Cu II-levels between 16 and 25 eV in Cu–He hollow cathode discharges were determined by emission spectroscopy. Population inversion was detected for several 6s-4p transitions. Investigation of the enhancement of Cu II vuv lines in He compared to Ne discharges showed that the excitation of the 6s levels by charge transfer is up to 100 times higher in He than in pure Ne discharges. Using the population densities and known transition probabilities, a single pass gain of 55% m^–1 at 780.8 nm and 1.2% m^–1 at 154.17 nm at a current density of 0.4 A cm^–2 was calculated.This paper is dedicated to Prof. Dr. H. Gobrecht on the occasion of his 75th birthday     

Linewidth studies on the Ar+ 476.5 nm and 480.6 nm lines excited in a helium-agron hollow cathode discharge

The spectral line shapes of the Ar⁺ 476.5 nm and 480.6 nm lines, excited in a He-Ar hollow cathode (HC) discharge, were measured using the Fabry-Perot technique. The collisional and Doppler linewidths were determined for the two lines. The collisional broadening constants are estimated to be (5±3) MHz/mbar and (6±3) MHz/mbar, respectively. The temperature obtained from the two Ar ion transitions was found to be 260 K higher than that expected for the rest of the gas mixture from earlier measurements. The possibility is discussed, that this excess temperature is caused by Ar ions partially created in the HC discharge by charge transfer collisions with He ₂ ⁺ molecules.     

Inhomogeneities in the shape of the He 504.7 nm line excited in a hollow cathode discharge

The profile of the He 504.7 nm line emitted in the negative glow of a hollow cathode discharge is analyzed as a function of the distance from the emitting volume to the cathode axis. The value of the discharge current varied within the range of 10–30 mA, the helium pressure being 0.4–1.5 torr. A dependence was found of the Voigt parameter a on the location of the emitting volume. The simultaneous recording of two line shapes, emitted from different regions of the discharge, enables us to observe a shift δv of the line center observed off-axis compared with the line emitted along the axis. The electric field intensity at the periphery, 6 mm off-axis, is evaluated on the assumption that Starkbroadening is the cause of δv.     

空心针-板电极大气压氩气辉光放电的特性研究

大气压均匀放电等离子体在工业领域具有非常广泛的应用前景,它是利用直流电源激励的空心针-板放电装置,以氩气为工作气体在大气压空气中产生均匀稳定的放电。对氩气流量和气隙间距对辉光放电发光特性的关系进行了研究,结果表明放电所产生的等离子体柱连接两个电极,发光较为均匀(观察不到放电丝)。在板电极附近放电等离子体柱直径最大,最大直径随着电流和气流的增大而增大。放电伏安特性研究发现,与低气压辉光放电相类似,两电极间的电压随着电流的增大而减小,并且随气流和气隙间距的增大而增大。对该大气压直流均匀放电在扫描范围为330～450 nm的光学发射光谱进行分析,获得了放电等离子体的分子振动温度和谱线强度比I_391.4/I_337.1随氩气流量和气隙间距的变化关系。I_391.4/I_337.1均随流量和气隙间距的增大而降低。对等离子体柱的I_391.4/I_337.1沿气流方向(等离子体柱轴向)进行了空间分辨测量,并进行了定性分析,结果表明,振动温度及电子平均能量随着远离空心针口距离的增大而增大。这些结果对大气压辉光放电在工业中的应用具有重要意义。     

Glow Discharge Characteristics of Hollow Needle-Plate Electrode in Atmospheric Pressure ArgonSCIEI北大核心CSCD

Atmosphere pressure uniform plasma has the broad application prospect in the industrial field. Using hollow needle cathode - plate anode device excited by direct-current voltage, a uniform and stable glow discharge is generated at atmospheric pressure in ambient air with argon used as working gas. The influence of the experimental parameters (including gas flow rate and the gas gap width) on discharge has been investigated by optical method. It can be found that a glow-discharge plasma column can bridge the two electrodes. The plasma column is uniform, and no filaments can be discerned. Near the plate electrode, the diameter of the plasma column is largest of all positions. The maximal diameter of the plasma column increases with increasing the discharge current or the gas flow rate. Through electrical method, the voltage-current characteristic has been investigated. It has been found that the discharge voltage decreases with increasing the current which is similar with the characteristic of glow discharge in low pressure. It increases with increasing the gas gap width or the gas flow rate. By analyzing the optical emission spectrum scanning from 330 to 450 nm emitted from the direct-current glow discharge, the molecular vibrational temperature and the intensity ratio of spectral lines I-391.4/I-337.1 have been investigated as functions of the gas flow rate and gas gap width. Results indicate that both the vibrational temperature and the intensity ratio of spectral lines I-391.4/I-337.1 decrease with increasing the gas flow rate or the gas gap width. In addition, the molecular vibrational temperature and the intensity ratio of spectral lines I-391.4/I-337.1 have been investigated in spatial resolution along the direction of gas flow(plasma column axial), and give a qualitative analysis as well. It is found that the vibrational temperature and the average electron energy increase with increasing the distance from the hollow needle cathode. These results are important to the industrial applications of glow discharge.     

Boltzmannbesetzung,Anregungstemperatur und Anregung von Materiallinien in der Hochstromhohlkathode

Measurements of relative intensities of Fe I spectral lines in the negative glow of a high-current hollow cathode show that at low discharge currents and low gas pressures there is no Boltzmann distribution. With increasing discharge current and gas pressure, however, this condition is approached. By means of cathode sputtering experiments and measurements of relative intensities it could be shown that material lines are excited by collisions of the second kind. Excitation temperatures are also measured and discussed.     

A review of: “Principles of the Theory of Light-Matter Interaction by F. B. Apmasevich Published by “Nauka i Technika” Publishing House,Minsk, USSR, 1977 (455 pp,in Russian).”

During plasma spectrum investigation in a discharge tube with hollow cathode, the conventional flat bottom of which is replaced with a conical one⁽¹⁾, an increase of the line intensity of the cathode material, as well as of the introduced sample, is observed ^(2,3,4); at the same time, the lines of the buffer gas change weakly (mostly decrease) their intensity.     

Production of copper vapor in a pulsed hollow cathode discharge

Spectral emission from a pulsed Cu hollow cathode was investigated in relation to discharge current to gain information on the density of the sputtered Cu vapor and on the persistence time of the metastable and ground-state atoms. The cathode was excited with 250 μsec discharge pulses at current densities up to 1 A/cm², using He, Ne and Ar as buffer gases. The intensities of the emitted Cu I lines were found to depend strongly on the simmer current. In atmospheres of Ne or Ar, the intensities of the resonance lines exhibited characteristic maxima during the initial 20 μsec of the discharge pulses. The density of the sputtered Cu atoms was determined by absorption measurements using a second Cu hollow cathode as alight source.     

On the radial distribution of the HeII 468.6 nm line intensity in a high voltage hollow cathode discharge tube

The radial distribution and spatial profiles of the HeII 468.6 nm line intensity in an internal anode type of the high voltage hollow cathode discharge (HV-HCD) tube have been investigated by a photographic technique using a narrow-bandpass interference filter. From the photographic data, it is inferred that the density of fast electrons near the tube axis of this HV-HCD tube is considerably higher than that of the conventional cylindrical type HCD tube.     

Determination of electron density and energy influx in a hollow cathode glow discharge used for powder modification

The electron density and energy influx in an argon hollow cathode glow discharge were determined to obtain adequate parameters for subsequent surface modification of low density polyethylene (LDPE) powder to change the wettability. The electron density was studied by Langmuir probe measurement in dependence on process gas pressure and hollow cathode material. Besides the determination of the rate of increasing electron density with input power an optimal experimental pressure was determined. The energy influx was studied by thermal probe measurements in dependence on process gas pressure, bias voltage, axial position and hollow cathode material. Inside the hollow cathode the energy influx is nearly constant along the whole cathode length. With increasing pressure the energy influx decreased. At biased thermal probe the energy influx was observed to decrease up to the floating potential and beyond it increases with increasing voltage. Using different hollow cathode materials the electron density as well as the energy influx reach higher values for aluminum than for copper and stainless steel.     

CW Cu II laser in a hollow anode-cathode discharge

CW laser operation on near infrared transitions of Cu II was investigated in a high voltage hollow cathode discharge tube of 19 cm active length. The high voltage was obtained by a special anode system placed inside the cathode. Threshold current for the strongest 7808 Å laser line was 0.4 A. At a discharge current of 2.4 A a multiline output power of 30 mW was obtained on six transitions between 7404 and 7896 Å.     

Optical characteristics of a low-density electric discharge bromine vapor plasma in the UV-VUV spectral region

The emission characteristics of a glow discharge in bromine vapor have been investigated in the spectral region 130–350 nm. The current-voltage characteristics and the emission spectra of the glow discharge with an interelectrode gap of 10 cm and a discharge tube 14 mm in inner diameter have been studied. The emission characteristics have been optimized as functions of the bromine vapor pressure and the power deposited into the plasma. It has been shown that, at a low pressure of the bromine vapor, the emission spectrum of the lamp is determined by the spectral lines of atomic bromine in the range 158–164 nm, which are analogous to the known lines (such as those at 206.2 nm) of atomic iodine in an iodine-containing glow discharge plasma. As the pressure of the bromine vapor increases above 100 Pa, the intensity of these emission lines of the bromine atom decreases and the lamp spectrum is formed by bromine molecular bands in the form of a continuum with sharp boundaries (λ = 165–300 nm).     

电极构形对形成大面积放电均匀性影响

 设计并制作了空心阴极、钮扣阴极、针阴极和条形阴极，利用CCD照相，在5cm×5cm口径范围内，分别对四种阴极放电的空间均匀性进行了研究。实验表明，在预电离电压800V，主放电电压3kV和气体气压约30Pa的条件下，利用空心阴极放电，能够获得空间较为均匀的放电等离子体。放电等离子体可以用作普克尔盒电光开关的等离子体电极。     

针-板和针-水电极大气压直流辉光放电的光谱特性

利用光谱学方法,对针-水电极和针-板电极直流辉光放电特性进行了比较研究。结果发现两种装置产生的放电都有明显的分区现象, 从阴极到阳极分别为负辉区、阴极暗区、正柱区和阳极辉区。针-板电极放电中可以清晰地观测到阳极暗区, 而针-水电极放电阳极暗区不明显。对比两种放电的伏安特性曲线,发现放电电压均随电流增大而减小,但相同电流下针-水电极间的电压大于针-板电极间的电压。由于伏安特性具有负斜率,且放电电流密度介于10-5～10-4 A·cm-2,说明两种装置中的放电均处于正常辉光放电阶段。在正常辉光放电的范围内比较两种放电的发射光谱, 发现发射光谱中都包含N₂的第二正带系(含波长为337.1 nm的谱线)和N+₂的第一负带系(含波长为391.4 nm的谱线),但相对强度不同。利用光谱学方法对放电发射谱的谱线强度比I_391.4／I_337.1和振动温度进行了空间分辨测量,发现相同位置处针-水电极放电的谱线强度比要比针-板电极放电的大,并且相同位置处针-水电极放电的振动温度高。     

Some Investigations of the Ignition and Development of Breakdown in Cylindrical Hollow Cathode Glow Discharges

The breakdown behaviour of a hollow cathode glow discharge is investigated in a cylindrical, hollow cathode structure having an internal diameter of 2 cm. The anode is a plane electrode across one end of the cathode cylinder. Pressures of argon between 20 and 107 Pa were used (0.15 to 0.80 torr), and applied voltages between 800 and 2500 V. It is shown that the statistical time lag for breakdown is in the range of ～ 1 ms and depends on the applied voltage, the gas pressure, and the history of operation of the discharge tube. The rise time of the discharge current ranges from about 10 ns at high pressure and voltage to about 200 ns at the lowest pressure and voltage used. The discharge propagates along the cathode axis at a speed of about 10⁸ cm s^?1. From the obtained data, a qualitative model of the first stage of the discharge is derived. Based on this model, a simple calculation gives values of Townsend modified first coefficient η at high values of E/N, 10⁴ < E/N < 8 · 10⁴ Td which fit well at the lowest E/N, where they approach the data of PENNING and KRUITHOF in argon. In contrast to the extremely short initial current-rise times, in the submicrosecond range, the discharge currents reach steady-state values only after about 300 μs.     

Das Eindringen der Glimmentladung in Spalte

The fractional area of the cathode covered by the negative glow in low pressure hydrogen discharges has been studied using a special co - planar anode - cathode configuration. The cathode was a steel bar of 2×2×64 cm, sectionalised into 32 insulated parts. An identical electrode mounted directly above the cathode at a variable separation facilitated the simulation of screening effects of insulating or conducting walls and of hollow cathode conditions. The depth of penetrationξ of the discharge into this gap was studied for various conditions. In general for the insulating wall condition,ξ is approximately proportional to the applied voltage and depends on the gap width and pressure. The electron current in the negative glow parallel to the cathode surface as well as the cathode current density at any distancex from the anode vary exponentially withη=ξ-?. The potential of the negative glow in the gap decreases slowly with? to the “normal” cathode fall at?=ξ. In the case of the conducting wall, the discharge can penetrate to any depth, provided the wall is maintained at a potential ≧ the “normal” cathode fall. For a hollow cathodeξ is small, but the current density near the anode reaches extremely high values.     

Atomic nitrogen laser action in a hollow cathode discharge

Near-infrared laser action of nitrogen atoms was obtained in a hollow cathode discharge. Four laser lines at wavelengths of 1358.2, 939.3, 938.7, and 862.9 nm were observed in the cw mode. In addition, the laser line at 904.6 nm was observed in quasi-cw operation in the afterglow for the first time. It is supposed that resonant charge exchange between He⁺ and N₂ followed by predissociation of N ₂ ⁺ is an important way of populating the upper laser levels.     

直流大气压辉光放电高能电子密度的空间分布

利用针阴极和水阳极,在6 mm的空气隙产生了大气压空气辉光放电。该大气压辉光放电具有明显的负辉区、正柱区和阳极辉区等明亮的发光区。通过研究放电的电压电流特性,发现该放电处于亚辉光放电到正常辉光放电阶段。由于氮分子第二正带系337.1 nm的光谱强度反映高能电子密度,对337.1 nm谱线的强度进行了空间分辨测量。结果发现高能电子在针尖附近密度最大,而其他区域相差不多。随电压升高,高能电子密度减少。增大限流电阻,高能电子密度也减少。氧原子对杀菌消毒具有重要作用,利用发射光谱法对氧原子谱线强度的空间分布进行了测量,发现氧原子谱线强度与高能电子的空间分布及其随参数的变化关系一致。     

介质阻挡均匀大气压辉光放电数值模拟研究

通过数值求解一维电子、离子连续性方程和动量方程，以及电流连续性方程，计算了氦气介 质阻挡大气压辉光放电电子、离子密度和电场在放电空间的时空分布，以及放电电流密度和 绝缘介质板充电电荷密度随时间的变化. 分析讨论所加电压频率、幅值及介质板性质等对均 匀大气压辉光放电性质的影响. 当外加电压频率足够高时，大量离子被俘获在放电空间，空 间电荷场又引起足够多的电子滞留在放电空间. 这些种子电子使得在大气压下发生汤森放电 ，放电空间结构类似于低气压辉光放电，即存在明显的阴极位降区、负辉区、法拉第暗区和 等离子体正柱 关键词： 大气压辉光放电 介质阻挡 数值模拟 等离子体     

On the use of relative line intensities of forbidden and allowed components of several HeI lines for electric field measurements

In this Letter we propose a method for electric field measurements based on intensity ratio of forbidden and allowed helium lines. HeI 402.6 nm, HeI 447.1 nm, and HeI 492.1 lines and their forbidden components are used for the measurement of electric field strength in the cathode region of the abnormal glow discharge in helium-hydrogen mixture. Electric filed strength was independently determined using polarization spectroscopy of Hβ line and then compared with electric filed strength obtained from relative intensity of HeI forbidden and allowed lines.