Correlations of Plasma Properties and Dielectric Surface Charge in a DC Discharge

Charging of dielectric surfaces by a plasma occurs naturally in a host of systems ranging from laboratory plasma experiments [1], dusty plasmas [2], and electronic processing devices [3] to plasma thrusters [4] and space satellites [5]. Here, we describe measurements of bulk plasma parameters and their correspondence to surface charge. We explore a range of plasma pressures (~10mTorr – atmospheric), compositions, and substrates to determine plasma properties and their correlations with measurements of surface charge. Plasma properties are determined from measurements of the electron energy distribution function using an electrostatic Langmuir probe while surface charge is obtained with a non-contacting Kelvin probe. Our analysis addresses the effects of material properties (e.g. secondary electron emission) and structures (e.g. surface roughness) on these correlations.

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[3] B. Jinnai, et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 25, 1808 (2007).

[4] Y. Raitses, et al., IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 39, 995 (2011).

[5] H. Miyake and Y. Tanaka, Sens. Mater. 29, 1213 (2017).