Relatively high plasma density in low pressure inductive discharges

Abstract

Electron energy probability functions (EEPFs) were measured in a low pressure argon inductive discharge. As radio frequency (RF) power increases, discharge mode is changed from E-mode (capacitively coupled) to H-mode (inductively coupled) and the EEPFs evolve from a bi-Maxwellian distribution to a Maxwellian distribution. It is found that the plasma densities at low RF powers (<30 W) are much higher than the density predicted from the slope of the densities at high powers. Because high portion of high energy electrons of the bi-Maxwellian distribution lowers the collisional energy loss and low electron temperature of low energy electrons reduces particle loss rate at low powers. Therefore, the energy loss of plasma decreases and electron densities become higher at low powers.