On the measurement of subsonic flow in a capacitively coupled helicon plasma source

Abstract

Plasma parameters and the subsonic flow from a capacitively coupled, cylindrical plasma source of the Njord helicon device are investigated by means of a Mach probe and a retarding field energy analyzer (RFEA). 13.56 MHz and 600 W RF power is inserted into the argon working gas under low-pressure conditions and moderate magnetic field. By means of a downstream field coil, the magnetic field is shaped from a purely expanding field to a configuration with more parallel field lines. It is shown that the downstream plasma density along the outer rim of the source increases significantly and there is a sudden increase by nearly 20 V in the plasma potential already after a moderate increase in the downstream magnetic field. The investigation of the flow indicates that current ratios derived from the Mach probe result in an apparent flow in the direction towards the source, while the current bratios derived from the RFEA indicate a flow in the direction away from the source. PIC simulations demonstrate that the acceptance angle of the probes, being nearly 180o for the Mach probe, and about 45o for the RFEA, can critically affect the current ratios and hence the subsonic flow measured by the probes in the weakly magnetized plasma in our device. The first section in your paper