Electrostatic Probe Theory and Its Application to Electron Temperature and Density of Plasma

Abstract

Electrostatic probe theory and its application to measure the electron temperature, the plasma density and the floating potential is the subject of this dissertation. After a general introduction and a brief discussion of the space-charge equations, the Langmuir probe theory is discussed rather extensively supplemented with some of the newer theories about saturation ion current. A brief discussion of the behavior of probes under the presence of collisions and magnetic fields is also given. Finally, the theory of double probe is discussed since the method is employed in this work to measure the plasma parameters mentioned above.