Reactive glow discharges: comparison of steady-state versus pulsed operation

In this work we compare glow discharges using traditional, inert gases and alternative reactive gases. More specifically, argon is systematically replaced by nitrogen (or oxygen) at increasing levels, culminating in a plasma completely sustained by nitrogen (or oxygen). To decouple the reactive plasma processes from potentially reactive surface reactions, we employed gold as a non-reactive cathode material. A common trend with nitrogen and oxygen addition is the significant loss of the Ar and ArH ion signals. As the argon ion signal decreases, the molecular oxygen ion increases; however the molecular nitrogen ion does not exhibit the same trend. Our studies include monitoring ions produced in the glow discharge, comparing direct current and pulsed discharges, and evaluating sputter rates.