Development and measurement of a microwave microplasma source

This research focuses on experimental characterization of a microwave microplasma source based on split ring resonators that is simple, cost-effective, and light weight. With the use of split ring resonator design, microplasma discharges are generated using a variety of different microstrip structures. As a result, this will determine how the plasma properties, such as electron density and temperature, differ with these structures. By connecting a microwave input source to an SMA connector on a microstrip structure and its ground plate, the electromagnetic fields are transferred through a ring geometry of the microstrip into a small air gap (approximately 500 microns). Teflon is used as the dielectric substrate and copper is used to create the microstrip. The frequency and input power of the microwave source is varied from 0.9 GHz to 1.0 GHz and 1-5 W, respectively. The experiment studies how the plasma properties are affected by the thickness of the microstrip (500 - 1000 nm). The electron density and temperature are measured experimentally with optical emissions spectroscopy as they are important plasma properties for various applications. Previous measurements have been recorded by other researchers but it has never been considered how the thickness of the microstrip might change the plasma properties. This research will lead to a better understanding of the microplasma properties and how they vary within a split ring resonator device.