C Smit et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 729 doi:10.1088/0963-0252/13/4/024
C Smit1,2, G J H Brussaard1, E C M de Beer1, D C Schram1 and M C M van de Sanden1,3
Show affiliationsThe degree of dissociation of hydrogen in a hydrogen plasma has been measured using electron beam induced fluorescence. A 20 kV, 1 mA electron beam excites both the ground state H atom and H2 molecule into atomic hydrogen in an excited state. From the resulting fluorescence the degree of dissociation of hydrogen is determined. In addition, the absolute atomic hydrogen density can be determined if the gas temperature and pressure are known without any additional calibration. To check the consistency of the method the fluorescence from the first four Balmer transitions is measured. It is demonstrated that this technique can be applied in hydrogen and argon–hydrogen plasmas with a pressure of up to 1 mbar and 0.2 mbar, respectively.
34.80.Ht Dissociation and dissociative attachment
34.80.Gs Molecular excitation and ionization
52.25.Kn Thermodynamics of plasmas
52.25.Os Emission, absorption, and scattering of electromagnetic radiation
Issue 4 (November 2004)
Received 8 April 2004
Published 4 November 2004
C Smit et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 729
A Shabalin 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 588
Yasushi Hayashi et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 675
J Al-Kuzee et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 612
Deepak Bose et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 553
Robert Stonies et al 2004 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13 604
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