עוד בפרק זה:

Plasma Physics Laboratory

 
Dean of research: Prof. Amnon Fruchtman
3-5026619 (972)
:Fax
:Email
building 8, room 202
:Location
3-5026617 (972)
:Tel
 
Gennady Makrinich
building 8, room 108
 :Location
:Email
 
3-5026525 (972)
:Tel
 
 
Our goal at the Plasma Physics Laboratory is to perform both basic and applied research into low temperature plasmas. Low temperature plasmas have important industrial applications, such as materials modification and electric propulsion. In our laboratory we intend to educate and train engineering students in the principles of plasma physics and technology. The staff is composed of professor Fruchtman, Mr. Makrinich, and visiting scientists. Mr. Makrinich is a research scientist with experience in employing plasma devices for materials processing. He has built plasma thrusters for both industrial applications and electric propulsion and has six patents in this field registered in his name in the former USSR. Here we give a very brief description of our activity.
We are developing plasma sources that use both electromagnetic waves and steady electric and magnetic fields to produce the plasma and to impart energy to the particles. First, we have developed a radio-frequency (RF) wave source. The plasma source, that operates both as an Inductive Plasma Source (IPS) and as a Helicon plasma source, is the first such source to be developed in Israel. Currently we are experimenting with configurations that employ steady electric and magnetic fields to accelerate plasmas.
 
 
Activities at the plasma laboratory
Plasma Accelerator
Plasma accelerator
Silicon Etching
Silicon etching
Sintering
Sintering
Helicon
Helicon


The RF plasma source is composed of a vacuum chamber, a gas flow controller, solenoids that generate a DC magnetic field, a radio frequency generator with matching units, and an antenna. The plasma is generated inside a Pyrex tube, 52cm in length and 10cm in diameter. The radio-frequency generator radiates at 13.56 MHz with a power of up to 1 kW. The magnetic field intensity is up to 900G. The working pressure is between 0.5 mTorr and 10Torr. Argon and nitrogen are used, both separately and as a mixture. The antenna is a helix of six turns of a 350mm total length and a 100mm diameter.

Employing a Langmuir probe system we have measured the plasma density for various wave power levels, magnetic field intensities and gas mass flow rates. The plasma source operates as a helicon plasma source. The magnetic field intensity is made uniform along the tube. The gas mass flow rate is 7.1 sccm and the gas pressure is 2mTorr. The I-V characteristics of the probe are used to infer the electron temperatures and the ion saturation currents, from which we calculate the ion densities. The electron temperature was found to be about 5eV. As seen in the figure there is an abrupt density increase above 400 G, as the source enters the helicon mode, the experimental curves (except for the 200W curve) move above the theoretical resonant line. The density regime above the resonant line is the stable regime for the helicon mode operation.

Our research has been supported by grants from Ministry of Industry (through the quarter-micron consortium), the Israel Science Foundation, the Israel Space Agency, the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation and Ministry of Environment.
 
 
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