T. Wegner

Electron heating during E-H transition in inductively coupled RF plasmas

A planar inductively coupled RF discharge (13.56 MHz) in argon and oxygen was exemplarily studied using space and phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy. The characteristic excitation rate pattern due to the electron heating during the sheath expansion was found for both gases in the E-mode. Furthermore, an intensive pattern in oxygen appears during the sheath collapse. This is associated with the electron heating caused by electric field reversal due to the strong electronegativity. The transition from the E- to the H-mode may be stepwise or continuous, depending on the gas type and total gas pressure. In the H-mode, significant differences in the excitation rate patterns exist. A broad and weakly modulated pattern is found over the RF cycle in argon, whereas in oxygen two separated patterns appear representing the electron heating for each half cycle. The reason may be the different excitation processes of the investigated resonant states and the influence of metastable argon atoms as well as attachment/detachment processes and dissociative recombination in oxygen. The E-H transition in oxygen at 5 Pa develops continuously and was studied in detail through the excitation rate. During the transition, the E- and H-mode are present and a hybrid mode was observed.

On the E-H transition in inductively coupled radio frequency oxygen plasmas: I. Density and temperature of electrons, ground state and singlet metastable molecular oxygen

In this series of two papers, the E-H transition in a planar inductively coupled radio frequency discharge (13.56 MHz) in pure oxygen is studied using comprehensive plasma diagnostic methods. The electron density serves as the main plasma parameter to distinguish between the operation modes. The (effective) electron temperature, which is calculated from the electron energy distribution function and the difference between the floating and plasma potential, halves during the E-H transition. Furthermore, the pressure dependency of the RF sheath extension in the E-mode implies a collisional RF sheath for the considered total gas pressures. The gas temperature increases with the electron density during the E-H transition and doubles in the H-mode compared to the E-mode, whereas the molecular ground state density halves at the given total gas pressure. Moreover, the singlet molecular metastable density reaches 2% in the E-mode and 4% in the H-mode of the molecular ground state density. These measured plasma parameters can be used as input parameters for global rate equation calculations to analyze several elementary processes. Here, the ionization rate for the molecular oxygen ions is exemplarily determined and reveals, together with the optical excitation rate patterns, a change in electronegativity during the mode transition.

Spatially resolved Langmuir probe diagnostics in a capacitively coupled radio frequency argon and oxygen plasma

Axial and radial profiles of the positive ion saturation current were measured by Langmuir probe diagnostics in a capacitively coupled radio frequency (RF) plasma in argon and oxygen. Under certain conditions these profiles provide the spatial density distribution of the positive ions, which corresponds approximately to the electron density in the electropositive plasma. Particularly in oxygen at low RF power a peak in the ion saturation current appears in the radial direction at the electrode boundary. The axial position s at the maximum ion saturation current depends on total pressure with s ∝ p−1/3, which reveals the pressure dependence of a collisional RF sheath. Furthermore, Langmuir probe characteristics were evaluated in terms of the Druyvesteyn method to determine the radial behavior of the electron energy probability function (EEPF). From the EEPF the radially resolved effective electron temperature and electron density were calculated. The radial electron density profile from the Langmuir probe was numerically integrated to calculate a line integrated electron density for comparison with the measured line integrated density from 160 GHz microwave interferometry. The integration over the Langmuir probe density results in a line integrated density, which amounts to 40% of the line integrated density from microwave interferometry.

Design, capabilities, and first results of the new laser blow-off system on Wendelstein 7-X

We present a detailed overview and first results of the new laser blow-off system on the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X. The system allows impurity transport studies by the repetitive and controlled injection of different tracer ions into the plasma edge. A Nd:YAG laser is used to ablate a thin metal film, coated on a glass plate, with a repetition rate of up to 20 Hz. A remote-controlled adjustable optical system allows the variation of the laser spot diameter and enables the spot positioning to non-ablated areas on the target between laser pulses. During first experiments, clear spectral lines from higher ionization stages of the tracer ions have been observed in the X-ray to the extreme ultraviolet spectral range. The temporal behavior of the measured emission allows the estimate of transport properties, e.g., impurity transport times in the order of 100 ms. Although the strong injection of impurities is well detectable, the global plasma parameters are barely changed.

On the E-H transition in inductively coupled radio frequency oxygen plasmas: II. Electronegativity and the impact on particle kinetics

In this series of two papers we present results about the E-H transition of an inductively coupled oxygen discharge driven at radio frequency (13.56 MHz) for different total gas pressures. The mode transition from the low density E-mode to the high density H-mode is studied using comprehensive plasma diagnostics. The measured electron density can be used to distinguish between the different operation modes. This paper focuses on the determination of the negative atomic ion density and the electronegativity by two experimental methods and global rate equation calculation. As a result, the electronegativity significantly decreases over two orders of magnitude from about 25 in the E-mode to about 0.1 in the H-mode. The temporal behavior of the electronegativity in pulsed ICP shows that the negative atomic ion density reaches a steady state after 10 ms. Negative atomic ions are mainly produced by the dissociative attachment with the molecular ground state. The ion–ion recombination with the positive molecular ions and the collisional detachment with the singlet molecular metastables contribute significantly to the loss of the negative atomic ions.

Prospects of X-ray imaging spectrometers for impurity transport: Recent results from the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (invited)

This paper reports on the design and the performance of the recently upgraded X-ray imaging spectrometer systems, X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer and high resolution X-ray imaging spectrometer, installed at the optimized stellarator Wendelstein 7-X. High resolution spectra of highly ionized, He-like Si, Ar, Ti, and Fe as well as H-like Ar have been observed. A cross comparison of ion and electron temperature profiles derived from a spectral fit and tomographic inversion of Ar and Fe spectra shows a reasonable match with both the spectrometers. The also measured impurity density profiles of Ar and Fe have peaked densities at radial positions that are in qualitative agreement with the expectations from the He-like impurity fractional abundances, given the measured temperature profiles. Repeated measurements of impurity decay times have been demonstrated with an accuracy of 1 ms via injection of non-recycling Ti, Fe, and Mo impurities using a laser blow-off system.

Plasma impurities observed by a pulse height analysis diagnostic during the divertor campaign of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator

The paper reports on the optimization process of the soft X-ray pulse height analyzer installed on the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator. It is a 3-channel system that records X-ray spectra in the range from 0.6 to 19.6 keV. X-ray spectra, with a temporal and spatial resolution of 100 ms and 2.5 cm (depending on selected slit sizes), respectively, are line integrated along a line-of-sight that crosses near to the plasma center. In the second W7-X operation phase with a carbon test divertor unit, light impurities, e.g., carbon and oxygen, were observed as well as mid- to high-Z elements, e.g., sulfur, chlorine, chromium, manganese, iron, and nickel. In addition, X-ray lines from several tracer elements have been observed after the laser blow-off injection of different impurities, e.g., silicon, titanium, and iron, and during discharges with prefill or a gas puff of neon or argon. These measurements were achieved by optimizing light absorber-foil selection, which defines the detected energy range, and remotely controlled pinhole size, which defines photon flux. The identification of X-ray lines was confirmed by other spectroscopic diagnostics, e.g., by the High-Efficiency XUV Overview Spectrometer, HEXOS, and high-resolution X-ray imaging spectrometer, HR-XIS.