Measurement of electron density with the phase-resolved cut-off probe method

The phase resolved cut-off probe method, a precise measurement method for the electron density, was recently proposed [J. H. Kwon et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 081502 (2010)]. This paper presents the measurements of electron density using the method under various experimental conditions (different pressures, powers, chamber volumes, and discharge sources). The result shows that the method is not only in good agreement with the previous method using wave transmittance under various experimental conditions but it is also able to find the cut-off point clearly even under difficult conditions such as high pressure (similar to 1 Torr), high discharge power, and small plasma volume. The details of the experimental setup, the operating mechanism of the probe method, and the data processing procedure (algorithm) are also addressed. Furthermore, the reliability of the measurement method is investigated by using an electromagnetic field simulation with cold plasma model (CST-Drude model, Computer Simulation Technology). (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3586561]