Who invented Langmuir probe?

physicist Irving Langmuir
Langmuir probes were developed in the early 1920s by American physicist Irving Langmuir (1881-1957) to measure the temperature and density of ionized gases—a state of matter for which Langmuir coined the word “plasma.”

How Langmuir probes work?

A Langmuir probe is a device used to determine the electron temperature, electron density, and electric potential of a plasma. It works by inserting one or more electrodes into a plasma, with a constant or time-varying electric potential between the various electrodes or between them and the surrounding vessel.

When was the Langmuir probe invented?

1924
He introduced the concept of electron temperature and in 1924 invented the diagnostic method for measuring both temperature and density with an electrostatic probe, now called a Langmuir probe and commonly used in plasma physics.

What is plasma potential?

The average potential in the space between charged particles, independent of how it can be measured, is called the “plasma potential”, or the “space potential”. If an electrode is inserted into a plasma, its potential will generally lie considerably below the plasma potential due to what is termed a Debye sheath.

How are Langmuir probes used in the semiconductor industry?

On the other hand, the most widespread use of Langmuir probes at present is in the semiconductor industry, where radiofrequency (rf) sources are used to produce plasmas for etching and deposition. These partially ion- ized plasmas require special techniques in probe construction and theory.

How is the Langmuir probe used to diagnose plasma?

Langmuir probe is a diagnostic tool, a metallic probe to diagnose the Plasma. The probe gives the characteristics of the plasma in absence of external interferenceIt is used for measuring electron temperature, electron density, floating potential, ion saturation current.

How is the slope of a Langmuir probe calculated?

Our method is to plot the term ln|I probe – I sat | and then fit a line to it. The slope of this best fit is inversely proportional to the electron temperature. It is necessary to subtract the value of the ion saturation current from I probe in order to continue with the analysis.

Is the impedans Langmuir spatial probe interchangeable?

The Impedans Langmuir Probe system comes complete with interchangeable single and double probe tips (at no extra charge) which can be used with the same electronics unit and also comes complete with a fully automated linear drive system.