Influence of the Percentage of Argon in the Ar–N2 Gas Mixture on the Relative Number of Ar+, N2+, N, and N+ Particles in the Plasma of a Non-Self-Sustained Low-Pressure Glow Discharge With a Hollow Cathode

The paper presents the results of studies of argon-nitrogen plasma of a non-self-sustained low-pressure glow discharge with a hollow cathode by optical emission spectrometry. The plasma was generated in a mixture of Ar–N₂ gases with an argon percentage from 0 to 100% at a total pressure of 1 Pa. The discharge current and voltage were maintained constant and amounted to 18 A and 165 V, respectively. A significant increase in the amount of Ar⁺ (up to 30%) at a nitrogen content of 10–25% was shown, which is associated with a shift in the reaction of charge exchange of nitrogen with argon towards the generation of argon ions. It was found that at a low partial pressure of nitrogen (≈10%), a sharp increase in the content of atomic nitrogen is observed which is probably due to the dissociation of nitrogen molecules upon collisions with an excited argon atom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]