Effects of argon gas pressure on its metastable-state density in high-density plasmas

The effect of argon gas pressure on its metastable density in inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs) is investigated by using the laser-induced fluorescence method. Our results show that the metastable-state density of argon varies with the gas pressure depending on the measurement position; the density decreases with the pressure at a position far from the ICP antenna, whereas it increases with the pressure at a position near the antenna. This contrast in the metastable-state density trend with the pressure is explained by considering the electron temperature variations at the two measurement positions. The theoretical interpretation and calculation using a global model are also addressed in detail in this paper.