Ionization in inductively coupled argon plasmas studied by optical emission spectroscopy

Abstract

Contribution of stepwise ionization to total ionization was experimentally investigated in low-pressure inductively coupled argon plasmas. In the pressure range 3-50 mTorr, optical emission spectroscopy was employed to determine metastable fractions (metastable density relative to ground state density) by measuring the emission intensity of selected lines. The measured metastable fractions were in good agreement with the calculation, showing a dependence on the discharge pressure. The rate of stepwise ionization was estimated from the excited level densities (measurements and model predictions) and their ionization rate coefficients. It is observed that at relatively low discharge pressures (<10 mTorr) the ionization is mainly provided by the direct ionization, whereas at higher pressure the stepwise ionization is predominant with increasing absorbed power.