Optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probes were used to diagnose complex space-charge structures that appear inside and around a spherical grid with orifice applying a negative voltage below a critical value to it. Measurements (through the orifice) delivered the axial profiles of plasma potential, electron temperature and density, and of the densities of excited atoms and ions. Thereby the formation of a double layer was found in the region near the orifice with a potential drop close to the ionisation potential of the applied gas, confirming the presence of a fireball in that region (also evidenced by visual observation), i.e. of a quasi-spherical bright plasma region consisting of a positive core (an ion-rich plasma) confined by a double layer. Spectral investigations confirmed the presence of high ion density inside the spherical grid (due to the hollow cathode effect), while outside the grid a transition region with a strong rate of ionisation and excitation processes appears. Information on the nonlinear dynamics of this space-charge structure was obtained from the analysis of the oscillations of the discharge current, as well as of the floating potential inside and outside the spherical grid.
A simple discharge is described which uses a permanent magnet as a cold cathode and the metallic chamber wall as an anode. The magnet's equator is biased strongly negative, which produces secondary electrons due to the impact of energetic ions. The emitted electrons are highly confined by the strong dipolar magnetic field and the negative potential in the equatorial plane of the magnet. The emitted electrons ionize near the sheath and produce further electrons, which drift across field lines to the anode while the nearly unmagnetized ions are accelerated back to the magnet. A steady state discharge is maintained at neutral pressures above 10 À3 mbar. This is the principle of magnetron discharges, which commonly use cylindrical and planar cathodes rather than magnetic dipoles as cathodes. The discharge properties have been investigated in steady state and pulsed mode. Different magnets and geometries have been employed. The role of a background plasma has been investigated. Various types of instabilities have been observed such as sheath oscillations, current-driven turbulence, relaxation instabilities due to ionization, and high frequency oscillations created by sputtering impulses, which are described in more detail in companion papers. The discharge has also been operated in reactive gases and shown to be useful for sputtering applications. V
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