Observations in steady-state plasmas confirm predictions that formation of a current-free double layer in a plasma expanding into a chamber of larger diameter is accompanied by an increase in ionization upstream of the double layer. The upstream plasma density increases sharply at the same driving frequency at which a double layer appears. For driving frequencies at which no double layer appears, large electrostatic instabilities are observed. Time-resolved measurements in pulsed discharges indicate that the double layer initially forms for all driving frequencies. However, for particularly strong double layers, instabilities appear early in the discharge and the double layer collapses.

We report observations that confirm a theoretical prediction that formation of a current-free double layer in a plasma expanding into a chamber of larger diameter is accompanied by an increase in ionization upstream of the double layer. The theoretical model argues that the increased ionization is needed to balance the difference in diffusive losses upstream and downstream of the expansion region. In our expanding helicon source experiments, we find that the upstream plasma density increases sharply at the same antenna frequency at which the double layer appears.

Two-dimensional argon ion velocity distribution functions (IVDFs) in the expansion region of a helicon plasma source have been measured by laser-induced-fluorescence tomography. Below a threshold value of the magnetic field in the expansion region, the IVDFs show a bimodal structure comprised of a supersonic ion population axially moving away from the source and an isotropic, slow, background, ion population. Increasing the magnetic field divergence leads to an increase in the axial speed of the supersonic component. A maximum axial speed of ∼2.9cs was obtained for a source/expansion magnetic field ratio of 43.

A submillisecond time resolution laser induced fluorescence ͑LIF͒ method for obtaining the temporal evolution of the ion velocity distribution function in pulsed argon plasma is presented. A basic LIF system that employs a continuous laser wave pumping and lock-in aided detection of the subsequent fluorescence radiation is modified by addition of a high frequency acousto-optic modulator to provide measurements of the ion flow velocity and ion temperature in a helicon generated pulsed argon plasma with temporal resolutions as high as 30 s.

The diagnostic technique of laser induced fluorescence (LIF), generalized to the case of oblique laser injection angle relative to the local magnetic field direction, is employed for studies of the ion velocity distribution function (IVDF) in the magnetic expansion region of a helicon plasma source. One-dimensional LIF measurements reveal key characteristics of the acceleration mechanism responsible for creation of an ion beam in the expansion regions: a bimodal IVDF comprising a slowly drifting (∼150 m s −1) ion population and a fast ion beam (∼10.7 km s −1). Two-dimensional LIF, LIF tomography, provides additional insight regarding the origins of the two ion populations: the nearly isotropic slow population is a locally created background population whereas the distorted velocity distribution of the fast population is consistent with an origin upstream of the measurement location.