Characterization of an inductively amplified magnetron plasma by glow discharge mass spectrometry

An inductively amplified magnetron plasma is studied by means of a quadrupo le mass spectrometer coupled with an ion energy analyzer. The device consis ts of a direct current (DC) magnetron discharge in which a radio-frequency (RF) induction coil is placed parallel to the cathode. The influence of the RF induction power and the argon pressure on the ion energy distributions is examined. The study of the integrated intensity of the ion energy distri butions shows that the increase of the RF induction power enhances the ioni zation of the plasma. The RF induction power has a weak effect on the elect ron temperature, but the plasma potential increases with the power. In this inductively amplified plasma, the larger Al+ ion current is observed at a RF power of 70 W and a pressure of 30 mTorr. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.