Wave diagnostics of plasmas using a dielectric waveguide

We study the dispersion characteristics of a planar dielectric waveguide in a magnetized plasma. A method is proposed to determine the parameters of an RF discharge plasma by comparing experimental and theoretical dependences of the transmission coefficient of the sounding microwave signal through a dielectric waveguide on the external magnetic field. Experimental tests showed good agreement between the results of measurements of the plasma density in the discharge by the method proposed and using Langmuir probes. The possibilities of using metal-oxide (dielectric)-semiconductor (MOS) structures as tunable rejector filters, phase rotators, and modulators are discussed. © 1999 Kluwer Academic/Pl enum Publishers.