The Effect of Different Cathode Configurations of the Plasma Cell on the Ion Velocity Distribution Function

The ion velocity distribution in a plasma source was investigated through a comparison between two different configurations of the cathode of the plasma cell, namely, the one mesh system electrodes (OMSE), and the one mesh and three system electrodes (OMTSE). The velocity ranged from 1 to 3.5 km/s for OMSE and from 4 to 22 km/s for OMTSE. The comparison between the experimental and theoretical ion velocity distribution function (IVDF) of OMSE and OMTSE under the same applied conditions shows a better agreement for OMSE than for OMTSE due to the difference in plasma cell construction, cathode mesh wire configuration, and cathode edge. Even though the velocity and density of ions for the OMTSE reactor are higher than those for the OMSE reactor, the OMSE reactor was found to be the best system to avoid dusty plasma defects through the etching process.