Characteristics of cylindrical plasma discharge with a thermal electron beam

Abstract

Widely used plasma types, such as capacitively coupled plasmas and inductively coupled plasmas, have been studied by several researchers, and their uses have been thoroughly explored. In contrast, electron beam plasmas have not been well studied in wide pressure or voltage ranges. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate their general characteristics, such as electron densities and temperatures. In this study, we focus on the electron mean free path and investigate the general characteristics, such as the electron density, temperature, plasma potential, and breakdown voltage, of a cylindrical plasma discharge with a thermal electron beam. An electron density of about 10(8)-10(9) cm(-3) and an electron temperature of 1-2 eV were obtained experimentally. The dependence of these parameters on the pressure and anode voltage is also investigated. Published by AIP Publishing