Atomic hydrogen densities in capacitively coupled very high-frequency plasmas in H ₂: Effect of excitation frequency

Absolute hydrogen atom densities in pure hydrogen capacitive discharges were measured as a function of excitation frequency (13.56, 27.12, and 40.68 MHz), nominal electrical power, and gas pressure (between 0.1 and 1 Torr). Quantitative measurements were made using two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (TALIF), put on an absolute scale by comparison with the TALIF signal from a known density of krypton gas, as proposed by Niemi, Schultz von Gathen, and Döbele [J. Phys. D 34, 2330 (2001)]. The H atom density increases with gas pressure and electrical power, and at a given power and pressure it increases significantly with excitation frequency. The latter can be attributed in part to increased electron density. However, time-resolved TALIF measurements in the afterglow showed that the H atom surface loss probabilities are not constant, becoming somewhat smaller when the sheath voltage is lowered, as is the case when the excitation frequency is increased, contributing to the increase in H density.