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Does the discrepancy between Langmuir Probe and emissive probe measurements of plasma potential in the presheath depend on ion flow?

POSTER

Abstract

It has recently been shown that  that Langmuir probes (LPs) measure an unphysically positive plasma potential in the presheath of low temperature plasma,  near conducting boundaries at which ion rich sheaths form. It has been argued heuristically that the difference between plasma potential profiles measured by LPs and emissive probes (EPs), in the presheath,  is related to ion flow caused by sheath formation. A negatively biased plate (-100V) is immersed in a weakly collisional  (λmfp» λD) low pressure (Pn ≤1 mTorr), low temperature (kTe ∼ 1 eV), single ion species plasma formed in a hot-filament DC discharge, where the feedstock gas is Ar or He or Xe or Kr. Here we present details of the LP and EP profile measurements in experiments designed to test whether the Bohm speed, vBohm= √(kTe/Mi), affects the difference between the potential profiles.

Publication: Li, Peixuan; Hershkowitz,N; Wackerbarth, E; and Severn, G, Experimental studies of the difference between plasma potentials measured by Langmuir probes and emissive probes in presheaths, PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 29, <br>025015 (2020).

Presenters

  • Adrian Woodley

    Dept. Physics & Biophysics, University of San Diego

Authors

  • Greg Severn

    University of San Diego, Dept. of Physics & Biophysics, University of San Diego, Dept. Physics & Biophysics, University of San Diego

  • Adrian Woodley

    Dept. Physics & Biophysics, University of San Diego

  • Michael P Shahin

    Dept. of Physics & Biophysics, University of San Diego, Dept. Physics & Biophysics, University of San Diego

  • Peixuan Li

    University of Wisconsin - Madison

  • Oliver Schmitz

    University of Wisconsin - Madison