Low-pressure gas breakdown in dual-frequency RF electric fields in nitrogen

¹  Department of Physics and Technology, Kharkov National University - Kharkov 61077, Ukraine
²  Laboratoire de Physique et Technologie des Plasmas, Ecole Polytechnique - Palaiseau 91128, France
³  Unaxis Displays Division France SAS - 5 rue Leon Blum, Palaiseau 91120, France
⁴  Association Euratom-CEA, Département de Recherches sur la Fusion Contrôlée, CEA Cadarache F-13108 Saint Paul lez Durance Cedex, France
⁵  Riber - 31 rue Casimir Périer, 95873 Bezons, France
⁶  Department of Physics, Kharkov National University - Kharkov 61077, Ukraine

Corresponding author: lisovskiy@yahoo.com

Received: 17 June 2007
Accepted: 23 August 2007

Abstract

This paper reports the recorded breakdown curves for dual-frequency (27.12 MHz MHz and 13.56 MHz Hz) discharges in nitrogen. Applying the LF voltage shifts the RF breakdown curve to the region of higher voltages and gas pressures, which is associated with the increased loss of charged particles due to the drift in the LF field. At higher LF voltage amplitudes the LF field contributes to gas ionization, the breakdown voltage for the RF discharge decreases and approaches zero when a self-sustained discharge in the LF field ignites. Applying the RF voltage leads to the decrease in the breakdown LF voltage, possibly due to the decrease of electron losses because of the oscillations in the RF field.