ATOMIC NITROGEN-PRODUCTION IN A HIGH-EFFICIENCY MICROWAVE PLASMA SOURCE

A high-resolution spectroscopic study of a high efficiency nitrogen at om beam source, which provides dissociation fractions of up to 0.67 an d is suitable for the treatment and doping of materials, has been used to identify and study atomic and molecular emissions from the source plasma. The ratio of the intensity of selected atomic and molecular em ission lines has been compared with the N/N-2 concentrations in the be am measured using a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Our observations sho w that spectroscopic measurements can be used to determine the N atom content of the beam. This technique is likely to be valuable in applic ations where nitrogen beams are used for the growth and treatment of m aterials where other means of characterization are precluded. (C) 1996 American Vacuum Society.