Plasma potential measurements using an emissive probe made of oxide cathode

A novel emissive probe consisting of an oxide cathode coating is developed to achieve a low operating temperature and long service life.The properties of the novel emissive probe are investigated in detail,in comparison with a traditional tungsten emissive probe,including the operating temperature,the electron emission capability and the plasma potential measurement.Studies of the operating temperature and electron emission capability show that the tungsten emissive probe usually works at a temperature of 1800 K-2200 K while the oxide cathode emissive probe can function at about 1200 K-1400 K.In addition,plasma potential measurements using the oxide cathode emissive probe with different techniques have been accomplished in microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasmas with different discharge powers.It is found that a reliable plasma potential can be obtained using the improved inflection point method and the hot probe with zero emission limit method,while the floating point method is invalid for the oxide cathode emissive probe.

Diagnostics of laser-induced plasma on carbon-based polymer material using atomic and molecular emission spectra

Time-integrated optical emission analysis of laser-induced plasma on Teflon is presented.Plasma was induced under atmospheric pressure air using transversely excited atmospheric CO_(2) laser pulses.Teflon is a C-based polymer that is,among other things,interesting as a substrate for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis of liquid samples.This study aimed to determine the optimal experimental conditions for obtaining neutral and ionized C spectral lines and C2 and CN molecular band emission suitable for spectrochemical purposes.Evaluation of plasma parameters was done using several spectroscopic techniques.Stark profiles of appropriate C ionic lines were used to determine electron number density.The ratio of the integral intensity of ionic-to-atomic C spectral lines was used to determine the ionization temperature.A spectral emission of C2 Swan and CN violet bands system was used to determine the temperature of the colder,peripheral parts of plasma.We critically analyzed the use of molecular emission bands as a tool for plasma diagnostics and suggested methods for possible improvements.

THE IMPROVEMENT OF ELECTRON FIELD EMISSION FROM AMORPHOUS CARBON FILMS DUE TO HYDROGEN PLASMA CHEMICAL ANNEALING EFFECT

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon films were fabricated by using layer-by-layer deposition method and hydrogen dilution method in a small d.c.-assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. It was found that the hydrogen plasma treatment could change the sp2/sp3 ratio to some extent by chemical etching. The improvements of field emission characteristics were observed compared with that from conventionally deposited a-C films, which can be attributed to the large field enhancement effect due to the inhomogeneous distribution of nanometer scale sp2 clusters and the reduction of the surface emission barrier due to the hydrogen termination.

Plasma diagnostics by optical emission spectroscopy on manganese ore in conjunction with XRD, XRF and SEM-EDS

Manganese(Mn) is an important industrial mineral.Information about the chemical and phase constitution along with the concentration of impurities presented in Mn ore is compulsory in assessing its suitability for different applications.We performed the qualitative and quantitative analysis of low-grade Mn ore(LGMO) using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) in conjunction with x-ray diffraction(XRD), x-ray fluorescence(XRF) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) coupled with energy dispersive x-ray electron spectroscopy(EDS).The optical emission spectra of the LGMO sample displayed the presence of Mn, Si, Ca, Fe, Al, Mg,V, Ti, Sr, Ni, Na, Ba and Li.The plasma parameters, electron temperature and number density were estimated using the Boltzmann plot and Stark broadening line profile methods and were found to be 7500 K±750 K and 8.18±0.8×1017 cm-3, respectively.Quantitative analysis was performed using the calibration-free LIBS(CF-LIBS) method and its outcome along with XRD, XRF and SEM-EDS data showed almost analogous elemental composition, while the LIBS method gave acceptably precise elemental analysis by detecting the low atomic number element Li besides V and Sr.The results obtained using LIBS for the LGMO exhibited its ability as a powerful analytical tool and XRF, XRD and SEM-EDS as complementary methods for the compositional analysis of complex low-grade mineral ore.

Electron field emission characteristics of nano-catkin carbon films deposited by electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition

This paper reported that the nano-catkin carbon films were prepared on Si substrates by means of electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition in a hydrogen and methane mixture. The surface morphology and the structure of the fabricated films were characterized by using scanning electron microscopes and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The stable field emission properties with a low threshold field of 5V/μm corresponding to a current density of about 1μA/cm^2 and a current density of 3.2mA/cm^2 at an electric field of 10V/μm were obtained from the carbon film deposited at CH4 concentration of 8%. The mechanism that the threshold field decreased with the increase of the CH4 concentration and the high emission current appeared at the high CH4 concentration was explained by using the Fowler-Nordheim theory.

The determination of 52 elements in marine geological samples by an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with a high-pressure closed digestion method

An improved analytical method to determine the content of 52 major, minor and trace elements in marine geological samples, using a HF-HCl-HNO_3 acid system with a high-pressure closed digestion method（HPCD）, is studied by an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry（ICP-OES） and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry（ICP-MS）. The operating parameters of the instruments are optimized, and the optimal analytical parameters are determined. The influences of optical spectrum and mass spectrum interferences, digestion methods and acid systems on the analytical results are investigated. The optimal spectral lines and isotopes are chosen, and internal standard element of rhodium is selected to compensate for matrix effects and analytical signals drifting. Compared with the methods of an electric heating plate digestion and a microwave digestion, a high-pressure closed digestion method is optimized with less acid, complete digestion,less damage for digestion process. The marine geological samples are dissolved completely by a HF-HCl-HNO_3 system, the relative error（RE） for the analytical results are all less than 6.0%. The method detection limits are 2–40μg/g by the ICP-OES, and 6–80 ng/g by ICP-MS. The methods are used to determine the marine sediment reference materials（GBW07309, GBW07311, GBW07313）, rock reference materials（GBW07103, GBW07104,GBW07105）, and cobalt-rich crust reference materials（GBW07337, GBW07338, GBW07339）, the obtained analytical results are in agreement with the certified values, and both of the relative standard deviation（RSD） and the relative error（RE） are less than 6.0%. The analytical method meets the requirements for determining 52 elements contents of bulk marine geological samples.

Measurement of electron density and electron temperature of a cascaded arc plasma using laser Thomson scattering compared to an optical emission spectroscopic approach

As advanced linear plasma sources, cascaded arc plasma devices have been used to generate steady plasma with high electron density, high particle flux and low electron temperature. To measure electron density and electron temperature of the plasma device accurately, a laser Thomson scattering（LTS） system, which is generally recognized as the most precise plasma diagnostic method, has been established in our lab in Dalian University of Technology. The electron density has been measured successfully in the region of 4.5？×10^19m^-3 to7.1？×10^20m^-3 and electron temperature in the region of 0.18 eV to 0.58 eV. For comparison,an optical emission spectroscopy（OES） system was established as well. The results showed that the electron excitation temperature（configuration temperature） measured by OES is significantly higher than the electron temperature（kinetic electron temperature） measured by LTS by up to 40% in the given discharge conditions. The results indicate that the cascaded arc plasma is recombining plasma and it is not in local thermodynamic equilibrium（LTE）. This leads to significant error using OES when characterizing the electron temperature in a non-LTE plasma.

Spectral and ion emission features of laser-produced Sn and SnO2 plasmas

We have made a detailed comparison of the atomic and ionic debris, as well as the emission features of Sn and SnO2 plasmas under identical experimental conditions. Planar slabs of pure metal Sn and ceramic SnO2 are irradiated with 1.06 μm, 8 ns Nd：YAG laser pulses. Fast photography employing an intensified charge coupled device （ICCD）, optical emission spectroscopy （OES）, and optical time of flight emission spectroscopy are used as diagnostic tools. Our results show that the Sn plasma provides a higher extreme ultraviolet （EUV） conversion efficiency （CE） than the SnO2 plasma. However, the kinetic energies of Sn ions are relatively low compared with those of SnO2. OES studies show that the Sn plasma parameters （electron temperature and density） are lower compared to those of the SnO2 plasma. Furthermore, we also give the effects of the vacuum degree and the laser pulse energy on the plasma parameters.

Traditional Chinese Medicine-Based Subtyping of Early-Stage Type 2 Diabetes Using Plasma Metabolomics Combined with Ultra-Weak Photon Emission

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)is increasing rapidly worldwide.Because of the limited success of generic interventions,the focus of the disease study has shifted toward personalized strategies,particularly in the early stages of the disease.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is based on a systems view combined with personalized strategies and has improved our knowledge of personalized diagnostics.From a systems biology perspective,the understanding of personalized diagnostics can be improved to yield a biochemical basis for such strategies;for example,metabolomics can be used in combination with other system-based diagnostic methods such as ultra-weak photon emission(UPE).In this study,we investigated the feasibility of using plasma metabolomics obtained from 44 pre-T2DM subjects to stratify the following TCM-based subtypes:Qi-Yin deficiency,Qi-Yin deficiency with dampness,and Qi-Yin deficiency with stagnation.We studied the relationship between plasma metabolomics and UPE with respect to TCM-based subtyping in order to obtain biochemical information for further interpreting disease subtypes.Principal component analysis of plasma metabolites revealed differences among the TCM-based pre-T2DM subtypes.Relatively high levels of lipids(e.g.,cholesterol esters and triglycerides)were important discriminators of two of the three subtypes and may be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.Plasma metabolomics data indicate that the lipid profile is an essential component captured by UPE with respect to stratifying subtypes of T2DM.The results suggest that metabolic differences exist among different TCM-based subtypes of pre-T2DM,and profiling plasma metabolites can be used to discriminate among these subtypes.Plasma metabolomics thus provides biochemical insights into system-based UPE measurements.

Time-Resolved Emission Spectroscopic Study of Laser-Induced Steel Plasmas

Laser-induced steel plasma is generated by focusing a Q-switched Nd：YAG visible laser（532 nm wavelength） with an irradiance of 1 x 109 W/cm2 on a steel sample in air at atmospheric pressure.An Echelle spectrograph coupled with a gateable intensified charge-coupled detector is used to record the plasma emissions.Using time-resolved spectroscopic measurements of the plasma emissions,the temperature and electron number density of the steel plasma are determined for many times of the detector delay.The validity of the assumption by the spectroscopic methods that the laser-induced plasma（LIP） is optically thin and is also in local thermodynamic equilibrium（LTE） has been evaluated for many delay times.From the temporal evolution of the intensity ratio of two Fe I lines and matching it with its theoretical value,the delay times where the plasma is optically thin and is also in LTE are found to be 800 ns,900 ns and 1000 ns.

Field emission characteristics of nano-sheet carbon films deposited by quartz-tube microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition

Nano-sheet carbon films are prepared on Si wafers by means of quartz-tube microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition （MPCVD） in a gas mixture of hydrogen and methane. The structure of the fabricated films is investigated by using field emission scanning electron microscope （FESEM） and Raman spectroscopy. These nano^carbon films are possessed of good field emission （FE） characteristics with a low threshold field of 2.6 V/μm and a high current density of 12.6 mA/cm^2 at an electric field of 9 V/μm. As the FE currents tend to be saturated in a high E region, no simple Fowler-Nordheim （F-N） model is applicable. A modified F N model considering statistic effects of FE tip structures and a space-charge-limited-current （SCLC） effect is applied successfully to explaining the FE data observed at low and high electric fields, respectively.

Time-Resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy Diagnosis of CO_2 Laser-Produced SnO_2 Plasma

The spectral emission and plasma parameters of SnO2 plasmas have been investigated. A planar ceramic SnO2 target was irradiated by a CO2 laser with a full width at half maximmn of 80 ns. The temporal behavior of the specific emission lines from the SnO2 plasma was characterized. The intensities of Sn I and Sn Ⅱ lines first increased, and then decreased with the delay time. The results also showed a faster decay of Sn I atoms than that of Sn II ionic species. The temporal evolutions of the SnO2 plasma parameters （electron temperature and density） were deduced. The measured temperature and density of SnO2 plasma are 4.38 eV to 0.5 eV and 11.38×1017 cm 3 to 1.1×1017^ cm-3, for delay times between 0.1 μs and 2.2 #s. We also investigated the effect of the laser pulse energy on Sn02 plasma.

Study of Non-Thermal DC Arc Plasma of CH_4/Ar at Atmospheric Pressure Using Optical Emission Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry

Non-thermal C/H/Ar plasmas are widely applied to carbonaceous material production and processing.In this work,plasma parameters and gaseous species of the atmospheric non-thermal C/H/Ar plasmas produced by an atmospheric-pressure DC arc discharge generator in CH_4/Ar were investigated.The voltage-current characteristics were measured for different CH_4/Ar ratios.Optical emission spectroscopy was employed to analyze the electron excitation temperature,gas temperature and electron density under various discharge conditions.The hydrocarbon molecules produced in the CH4/Ar plasmas were detected with photoionization mass spectrometry.The optical spectral results demonstrated that the electron excitation temperature was 0.4-1 eV,the gas temperature was 2800-4200 K and the electron density was in the range of（5-20）×10^15 cm^-3.The mass spectrum indicated that a variety of unsaturated hydrocarbons（C2H4,C3H6,C6H6,etc.） and several highly unsaturated hydrocarbons（C4H2,C5H6,etc.） were produced in the non-thermal arc plasmas.

Determination of Non-Maxwellian Electron Energy Distributions in Low-Pressure Plasmas by Using the Optical Emission Spectroscopy and a Collisional-Radiative Model

A Maxwellian electron energy distribution function （EEDF） is often assumed when using the optical emission line-ratio method to determine the electron temperature in low- temperature plasmas. However, in many cases, non-Maxwellian EEDFs can be formed due to the non-local electron heating or the inelastic-collisional energy loss processes. In this work, with a collisional-radiative model, we propose an approach to obtain the non-Maxwellian EEDF with a ＇two-temperature structure＇ from the emission line-ratios of Paschen 2p levels of argon and kryp- ton atoms. For applications of this approach in reactive gas （CF4, O2, etc） discharges that contain argon and krypton, recommendations of some specific emission line-ratios are provided, according to their sensitivities to the EEDF variation. The kinetic processes of the relevant excited atoms are also discussed in detail.

Quantitative Determination of Density of Ground State Atomic Oxygen from Both TALIF and Emission Spectroscopy in Hot Air Plasma Generated by Microwave Resonant Cavity

Two experimental techniques have been used to quantify the atomic oxygen density in the case of hot air plasma generated by a microwave （MW） resonant cavity. The latter operates at a frequency of 2.45 GHz inside a cell of gas conditioning at a pressure of 600 mbar, an injected air flow of 12 L/min and an input MW power of 1 kW. The first technique is based on the standard two photon absorption laser induced fluorescence （TALIF） using xenon for calibration but applied for the first time in the present post discharge hot air plasma column having a temperature of about 4500 K near the axis of the nozzle. The second diagnostic technique is an actinometry method based on optical emission spectroscopy （OES）. In this case, we compared the spectra intensities of a specific atomic oxygen line （844 nm） and the closest wavelength xenon line （823 nm）. The two lines need to be collected under absolutely the same spectroscopic parameters. The xenon emission is due to the addition of a small proportion of xenon （1% Xe） of this chemically inert gas inside the air while a further small quantity of H2 （2~） is also added in the mixture in order to collect OH（A- X） and NH（A-X） spectra without noise. The latter molecular spectra are required to estimate gas and excitation temperatures. Optical emission spectroscopy measurements, at for instance the position z=12 mm on the axis plasma column that leads to a gas measured temperature equal to 3500 K, an excitation temperature of about 9500 K and an atomic oxygen density 2.09× 1017＋ 0.2×1017 cm-3. This is in very good agreement with the TALIF measurement, which is equal to 2.0×101T cm-3.

Investigation on plasma characteristics in a laser ablation pulsed plasma thruster by optical emission spectroscopy

In order to further improve the propulsion performance of pulsed plasma thrusters for space micro propulsion,a novel laser ablation pulsed plasma thruster is proposed,which separated the laser ablation and electromagnetic acceleration.Optical emission spectroscopy is utilized to investigate the plasma characteristics in the thruster.The spectral lines at different times,positions and discharge intensities are experimentally recorded,and the plasma characteristics in the discharge channel are concluded through analyzing the variation of spectral lines.With the discharge energy of 24 J,laser energy of 0.6 J and the use of aluminum propellant,the specific impulse and thrust efficiency reach 6808 s and 70.6%,respectively.

Diagnostic of capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma from electrical discharge characteristics：comparison with optical emission spectroscopy and fluid model simulation

The capacitively coupled radio frequency（CCRF）plasma has been widely used in various fields.In some cases,it requires us to estimate the range of key plasma parameters simpler and quicker in order to understand the behavior in plasma.In this paper,a glass vacuum chamber and a pair of plate electrodes were designed and fabricated,using 13.56 MHz radio frequency（RF）discharge technology to ionize the working gas of Ar.This discharge was mathematically described with equivalent circuit model.The discharge voltage and current of the plasma were measured atdifferent pressures and different powers.Based on the capacitively coupled homogeneous discharge model,the equivalent circuit and the analytical formula were established.The plasma density and temperature were calculated by using the equivalent impedance principle and energy balance equation.The experimental results show that when RF discharge power is 50–300 W and pressure is 25–250 Pa,the average electron temperature is about 1.7–2.1 e V and the average electron density is about 0.5？×10^17–3.6？×10^17m^-3.Agreement was found when the results were compared to those given by optical emission spectroscopy and COMSOL simulation.

On the green aurora emission of Ar atmospheric pressure plasma

The Ar atmospheric pressure plasma was found to be an excellent laboratorial source for green aurora emission.However,the characteristic and production mechanism of the green aurora emission of the Ar atmospheric pressure plasma are still not clear.In this work,an Ar plasma in a long glass tube which emits intense green aurora light is investigated.With the long glass tube,it can be concluded that the green aurora emission in the Ar plasma is not owing to the mixture of Ar plasma plume with the surrounding air.It is also found that the green aurora emission often appeared beyond the active electrode when the active electrode is placed at the downstream of the gas flow.The green emission disappears when the traces amount of O_(2) or N_(2)(about 0.05%–0.07%)is added to Ar.This is because the O_(2) molecules deactivate the upper state O(^(1)S),which results in the decrease of the green emission.On the other hand,when N_(2) is added,Ar metastable atoms are quenched by N_(2),which results in the decrease of O atoms and eventually leads to the decrease of the green emission intensity.The intensity of the green aurora emission increases when the driving voltage frequency increases from 1 to 10 k Hz.More importantly,it is found that the green aurora emission is not affected when a grounded stainless steel needle is in contact with the plasma plume.Thus,the green emission is not driven electrically.All these findings are helpful for the understanding of the physics and its applications of atmospheric pressure plasma jet in space physics,laser physics and other application areas.

Field Electron-Emission from a-CN_x:H Films Formed on Al Films Using Supermagnetron Plasma CVD

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon nitride (a-CNx:H) films were formed on p-Si, Al films deposited on n-Si (Al/n-Si) and glass (SiO2) (Al/glass) substrates, using pulsed rf supermagnetron plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with N2/i-C4H10 mixed gases. The rf powers (13.56 MHz) of both the upper and lower electrodes were modulated by a 2.5-kHz pulse at a duty ratio of 12.5%. N2 gas concentration was controlled at 70%. The optical band gap of a-CNx:H films was about 0.75 eV. The a-CNx:H films deposited on substrates of p-Si, Al/n-Si and Al/glass showed low threshold emission electric fields (ETH) of 10, 13 and 12 V/μm, respectively. The a-CNx:H film deposited on low-cost Al film (Al/glass) showed a sufficiently low ETH of 12 V/μm, eliminating the need for high-cost p-Si substrates.