Electron density measurement of Ar, N2, O2, and Ar mixtures (with N2 and O2) gas in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) using terahertz time domain spectroscopy

Abstract

In this study, an inspection method using terahertz waves was proposed for the diagnosis of electron density using inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Plasma with low and high electron density for Ar, N2, O2, and Ar mixed (with N2 and O2) gases was generated by varying the RF power of the ICP and mass flow rate. Based on the theoretical analysis about propagation characteristics of the THz waves in Ar, N2, O2, and Ar mixed (with N2 and O2) gas plasma, the electron density of the ICP was measured according to RF power and mass flow rate. These results were verified using a Langmuir probe that can measure the electron density distribution.