Low-energy electron attachment to BCl3 was measured using an electron
swarm technique. The parent negative ion, BCl3- was observed within a
narrow electron range close to thermal energy. Previous negative ion m
easurements in BCl3 discharges, which yielded seemingly inconsistent r
esults, can be shown to be self-consistent based on the present observ
ations. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)01722-8
].