Spatiotemporal optical emission spectroscopy of rf discharges in SF6

The kinetic process behind radio frequency discharges in SF6 was investigated using space- and time-resolved emission spectroscopy. The behavior of the second positive and the first negative bands of nitrogen showed that the double layers formed in front of the anode and the double-layer-induced emission was the most prominent feature in the emission profle. Emission originating from the bulk at low and high frequencies was attributed to low-energy electrons.