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.

*Work supported by NSF grants PHY-1804654, 1804240, & 2108636

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,
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