Characterization of magnetically confined low-pressure plasmas produced by an electromagnetic field in argon-acetylene mixtures

Dust particles formation was investigated in magnetically confined low-pressure plasma produced in argon-acetylene mixtures. The plasma characteristics were measured in order to identify the species involved in the dust particles formation. Their dependence on the operating conditions including magnetic field intensity, acetylene fraction in the gas mixture and operating pressure was examined. In contrast with noble gases, in the presence of acetylene, the electron temperature increases with the magnetic field intensity, indicating additional charged particles losses in the plasma. Indeed, in these conditions, larger hydrocarbon ions are produced leading to the formation of dust particles in the plasma volume. The observed dependence of positive ion mass distribution and density and relative negative ion density on the operating parameters suggests that the dust particles are formed through different pathways, where negative and positive ions are both involved in the nucleation.