Journals

In this article, we present a detailed characterisation of a multicusp-assisted inductively coupled RF plasma source for plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). Using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and RF-compensated Langmuir probe diagnostics, we measured ion temperature T i and drift velocity v z in argon plasmas near an immersed electrode. The multicusp configuration enhances plasma density at low pressure, enabling stable operation down to 0.8 mTorr. Timeaveraged measurements show no detectable perturbation near the pulsed electrode, indicating full plasma recovery between high-voltage pulses. LIF-derived potential profiles match Riemann's presheath theory, and ion velocity distributions reveal acceleration consistent with sheath dynamics. These results support the use of LIF for steady-state characterisation of the bulk and presheath regions in PIII systems.

Moreno Joel

We report numerical results regarding the minimum sustaining coil excitation current for a RF-RF hybrid torch operating at two different frequencies. The first coil is excited at a high-frequency, while the second coil is set at a medium frequency. The filling gas is argon, at atmospheric pressure. We use the modeling software COMSOL Multiphysics to describe the evolution of key parameters when: (i) the distance between the two coils changes, (ii) the power of the high frequency coil changes. We discuss the radial temperature profiles, the axial velocities and the heat convected at the end of the medium-frequency coil. The latter is compared with the total heat conduction to the plasma confinement tube wall.

Loann Terraz