ELECTRICAL SINGLE PROBE WITH AN AUTOMATIC POSITIONER

An easy to assemble and inexpensive plasma diagnostic system is presen ted. An electrical single probe and its vacuum and electrical isolatio n arrangement, integrated to an automatic positioner device, has been constructed and tested in plasma environments, This system provides a more precise estimation of the probe electrode position than others pr eviously proposed in the literature. To control the probe electrode po sition an electronic circuit based in a microcontroller device is used . This automatic positioner avoids the troubles related to a manual op eration. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.