Langmuir Probe Measurements in the Gaseous Electronics Conference RF Reference Cell

The use of a Langmuir probe system in two GEC cells is reviewed. The major problems associated with probe diagnostics in a GEC cell are outlined and discussed. While the data base is still insufficient to give definitive values for many parameters, a number of standard measurements are put forward. The plasma density in argon is 9×10(9) cm(−3) (±20 %) at an applied rf voltage of 250 V (500 V peak to peak) and a gas pressure of 13.3 Pa (100 mTorr). The electron density scales linearly with applied voltage. The plasma to ground sheath resistance is shown to be very important with a value of 810 Ω in argon at a pressure of 13.3 Pa (100 mTorr) and discharge current of 0.1 A. The value of plasma to ground resistance scales inversely with discharge current and sublinear with pressure. Two standard features in the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) have been proposed as a test of the ability of a probe system to resolve features, first, the transition from a low temperature (<1 eV) bi-Maxwellian distribution to a Druyveysten distribution (3 eV) at 13.3 Pa (100 mTorr) in argon, and the “hole” in the EEDF at 2 eV to 4 eV in nitrogen plasmas.