Non-LTE Argon Plasma Composition at Atmospheric Pressure

The knowledge of plasma composition is very important for various plasma applications and the prediction of other plasma properties. Most of the plasma currently used in plasma-aided processing is in the non-LTE (Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium) state. In this paper, the Saha equations, Debye-length equation, lowering-of-ionization-energy equation and pressure-correction equation, used to calculated the non-LTE plasma composition, are analyzed. The recently published theoretical results are compared with experimental data.