Study of axial double layer in helicon plasma by optical emission spectroscopy and simple probe

In this work we used a passive measurement method based on a high-impedance electrostatic probe and an optical emission spectroscope （OES） to investigate the characteristics of the double layer （DL） in an argon helicon plasma. The DL can be confirmed by a rapid change in the plasma potential along the axis. The axial potential variation of the passive measurement shows that the DL forms near a region of strong magnetic field gradient when the plasma is operated in wave- coupled mode, and the DL strength increases at higher powers in this experiment. The emission intensity of the argon atom line, which is strongly dependent on the metastable atom concentration, shows a similar spatial distribution to the plasma potential along the axis. The emission intensity of the argon atom line and the argon ion line in the DL suggests the existence of an energetic electron population upstream of the DL. The electron density upstream is much higher than that downstream, which is mainly caused by these energetic electrons.

Insight into the remaining high surface energy of atmospheric DBD plasma-treated polyethylene web after three months' aging

In this paper, we report the modification of polyethylene(45 μm in thickness) webs through a roll-to-roll dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment in an open atmospheric environment.Our work differs from the normal adopted corona discharge treatment at an atmospheric pressure, in that three monomers: allylamine, acrylic acid, and ethanol, are inlet into the discharge zone by argon(Ar) carrier gas. As a comparison, Ar plasma treatment is also carried out. We focus on the aging properties of treated plastics in the open air. It is found that the modified webs can retain the surface energy as high as 50.0?±?1 mN m^(-1) for more than three months. After characterization of the as-prepared and aged samples by the surface roughness, the wettability, and the chemical structure, the mechanism of retaining high surface energy is then presumed. We think that the initial high surface energy just after plasma treatment is correlated to the grafted functional groups, while the over 50.0 mN m^(-1) remaining surface energy after three month aging is due to the stable concentrations of oxygen-contained and nitrogencontained groups by post-reaction on the surfaces.

Reversal of radial glow distribution in helicon plasma induced by reversed magnetic field

In this work, the reversal of radial glow distribution induced by reversed magnetic field is reported. Based on the Boswell antenna which is symmetric and insensitive to the magnetic field direction, it seems such a phenomenon in theory appears impossible. However, according to the diagnostic of the helicon waves by magnetic probe, it is found that the direction of magnetic field significantly affects the propagation characteristic of helicon waves, i.e., the interchange of the helicon waves at the upper and the lower half of tube was caused by reversing the direction of magnetic field. It is suggested that the variation of helicon wave against the direction of magnetic field causes the reversed radial glow distribution. The appearance of the traveling wave does not only improve the discharge strength, but also determines the transition of the discharge mode.

Modulation of absorption manner in helicon discharges by changing profile of low axial magnetic field

The modulation of absorption manner in helicon discharge by changing the profile of low axial magnetic field is explored experimentally in this work. The experiments are carried out in Boswell-type antenna driven by 13.56-MHz power source in 0.35-Pa argon environment. The peak of the external non-uniform magnetic field （Bex） along the axis is observed in a range from 0 Gs to 250 Gs （1 Gs=10^-4 T）, where the electron density varies from 0.5×10^16 m^-3 to 9×10^16 m^-3. When Bex is located near the tube upper end sealed by a dielectric plate, or near the tube bottom end connected with a diffusion chamber, the plasmas are centralized in the tube in the former case while the strong luminance appears between the edge of the tube and the axial line in the latter case. When Bex is located in the middle of the antenna, moreover, an effective resistance （Reff） peak appears apparently with increasing magnetic field. The glow moves toward first the edge of the tube and then the two antenna legs as the magnetic field increases. The discharge in this case is caused by the absorption of Trivelpiece-Gould （TG） wave. It is suggested that Bex is located in the middle of the antenna to obtain a higher efficiency of power transfer.