Effects of a controlled N2 and O2 addition to Ar on the analytical parameters of the GD-OES

The influence of the controlled addition of N2 and of O2 to Ar on the analytical parameters of a dc glow discharge has been investigated for bulk samples of the pure metals Al, Ti, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Ag. The constant voltage discharge mode at 1000 V was applied with a mean power of about 1 W/mm2. The N2 and O2 concentrations in the discharge gas Ar were varied in the range 0–3 mass-%, corresponding to a partial pressure of about 4 · 10−3 hPa. The general effect of the gaseous addition is the decrease of the sputtering rate with an increasing concentration of N2 or O2. Atomic processes, which might be responsible for the observed effects, are discussed.