Electrical and optical characterisation of capacitively and inductively coupled GEC reference cells

The Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC) reference cell concept is designed to provide a standard discharge for comparative studies. II exists in both a capacitively and inductively coupled form. The electrical characterisati on, by derivative probes, provides an accurate, reproducible measurement of the power dissipated in the plasma. Langmuir probe measurements of the ele ctron energy distribution function show transitions between different heati ng modes. Time-resolved optical emission, when correlated with time-resolve d potential measurements, can indicate the relative contributions of differ ent plasma heating mechanisms. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.