Variation of the electron energy distribution with He dilution in an inductively coupled argon discharge

We present experimental evidence of different behaviors of plasma parameters depending on changes in the electron energy distribution (EED), caused by an electron heating mechanism and electron-neutral collision processes in an Ar/He mixture inductively coupled plasma. At a low gas pressure of 3 mTorr, where the electron neutral collision frequency νm is much smaller than the driving frequency ωRF, the EEDs evolved from a bi-Maxwellian distribution to a Maxwellian distribution, due to the efficient heating of low energy electrons when the He flow rate increased at a fixed total gas pressure. The plasma density slowly decreased with the He flow rate portion ([He]/[Ar] + [He]) in a range of 0%–70%, while the plasma density largely decreased in the He flow rate portion of 70%–100%. On the other hand, at a high gas pressure of 350 mTorr where νm ≫ ωRF, the EEDs evolved from a Druyvesteyn-like distribution to a Maxwellian distribution, due to a cooling of low energy electrons and an increase in the population ...

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