A compact coaxial electron cyclotron resonance plasma source

A compact coaxial electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source is built for plasma deposition experiments. The ECR plasma is produced in a coaxial line configuration and hence the source is compact. The plasma parameters (plasma density and electron temperature) are measured using a Langmuir probe. The plasma parameters are mainly dependent on the center conductor (stub) dimensions of the coaxial line. The characterization of plasma for both conical and cylindrical stubs is carried out and it is found that the conical stub produces relatively denser and more stable plasma than the cylindrical stub. The typical plasma density and electron temperature are 3X10(10) cm(-3) and 5 eV, respectively, for argon plasma. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.