Electron-beam-sustained discharge revisited - light emission from combined electron beam and microwave excited argon at atmospheric pressure

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new electron beam and microwave combined discharge method for exciting argon at atmospheric pressure, analyzing its optical emission spectra and plasma parameters.

Contribution

It presents a novel continuous-mode discharge technique combining electron beam and microwave excitation, with detailed spectral and plasma parameter analysis.

Findings

Spectral modifications due to combined excitation effects

Changes in electron density, temperature, and gas temperature observed

Optical emission spans VUV to NIR wavelengths

Abstract

A novel kind of electron beam sustained discharge is presented in which a 12keV electron beam is combined with a 2.45GHz microwave power to excite argon gas at atmospheric pressure in a continuous mode of operation. Optical emission spectroscopy is performed over a wide wavelength range from the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) to the near infrared (NIR). Several effects which modify the emission spectra compared to sole electron beam excitation are observed and interpreted by the changing plasma parameters such as electron density, electron temperature and gas temperature.