Optical actinometry for number density measurements in low-pressure plasmas: Advantages, error sources, and method validation

Number density of plasma-generated atoms or molecules is an important parameter for both fundamental research and applications. It can be measured in a straightforward manner, using vacuum-ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, which is mainly possible in laboratory conditions as it may require bulky equipment, such as lasers. By contrast, optical actinometry is an alternative approach that only uses spontaneous emission from the plasma. This technique relies on the so-called corona excitation and uses emission line ratios between the gases with unknown and known concentrations (called actinometer in the last case). As a result of using line ratios, the additional density calibration is not required if the excitation cross sections are known. This study discusses Ar-based actinometry in low-pressure (roughly <1 kPa) plasma discharges with an emphasis on multiple line ratios. The work is particularly focused on the method’s applicability, the choice of Ar cross sections, and potential error sources. The influence of the additional excitation mechanisms is analyzed based on both experiments and modeling. The optical transitions for F, O, H, N, and P atoms along with expressions for their number density are presented, not requiring high optical resolution for measurements. For the sake of method validation, it is shown that in low-pressure radiofrequency discharges, a nearly excellent agreement between the actinometry data and the calibrated measurements can be achieved by careful selection of optical transitions.