Impurity Ions in a Plasma Produced by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating

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Abstract
The mechanism of the generation of impurity ions is experimentally evidenced in an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma produced with a copper Lisitano coil. It is shown that neutral copper particles are sputtered from the Lisitano coil by argon ions and are ionized by the collisions with electrons. The argon ions are accelerated by the ion sheath formed on the Lisitano-coil surface, so that the plasma space potential plays an important role in producing the impurities. The impurity flux calculated by using plasma parameters and the sputtering yield of copper is found to be consistent with the observed value. The production of a pure ECR plasma is also attempted with an aluminum Lisitano coil which has a smaller sputtering yield than that of the copper Lisitano coil.