J-C Schauer et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 636 doi:10.1088/0963-0252/13/4/012
J-C Schauer, S Hong and J Winter
Show affiliationsThe formation of dust particles in reactive plasmas affects the electrical characteristics of the plasma. We have investigated the time resolved development of the electrical characteristics due to particle formation, i.e. the voltage and current at the surface of the powered electrode in capacitively coupled Ar–C2H2 and Ar–CH4 dusty plasmas. The stray impedances of the reaction chamber were characterized in order to trace the change in plasma impedance during particle formation. Using a simple equivalent circuit model the plasma impedance is represented as a series combination of a resistor and a capacitor. It was observed that the plasma impedance becomes more resistive as the particles grow. In the case of Ar–CH4 plasmas three different characteristic steps were observed, which might be related to the nucleation, coagulation and agglomeration phase of particle formation. Compared with other dust particle detection methods this technique is easy to implement, non-intrusive and very sensitive even for the smallest particles.
52.27.Lw Dusty or complex plasmas; plasma crystals
Issue 4 (November 2004)
Received 22 April 2004
Published 5 October 2004
J-C Schauer et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 636
K H Bai et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 662
2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 739
Davide Mariotti et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 576
P Vašina et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 668
N Denisova and A Skudra 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 594
Alexander A Bol'shakov et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 691
J J Blandino and D G Goodwin 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 712
V I Demidov et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 600
M Sharif et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 B7