Comparison of various interpretation methods of the electric probe measurements in inductively coupled Ar and O2 plasmas

In low-pressure inductively coupled argon and oxygen discharges, the plasma density and electron temperature and the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) were obtained by using a cylindrical electric probe. The plasma densities were determined by various methods to interpret the probe current-voltage characteristic curve: the EEDF integration, the electron saturation current, the ion current at the floating potential, and the orbital-motion-limited (OML) ion current. Quite a good agreement exists between the plasma densities determined by various classical methods. Although the probe technique has some limitation in electronegative plasmas, the plasma densities determined from OML theory compare well with those measured by the ion saturation current at the floating potential in the oxygen discharges. In addition, the EEDFs of inductively coupled Ar and oxygen plasmas are observed to be nearly Maxwellian at the pressure range of 1-40 mTorr. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.