Spectroscopic measurement of the degree of ionization in a helium electron cyclotron resonance discharge in a simple cusp field

For an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) discharge, a simple cusp field can improve electron confinement and enhance the degree of ionization (DOI) without sacrificing accessibility to the plasma. In this study, the spatial distribution of the DOI is experimentally revealed in a helium plasma produced with widely used 2.45 GHz and 800 W microwaves. The DOI is evaluated from the electron density and ground state atom density measured using HeI emission line intensities and by collisional-radiative model analysis. It is found that the DOI increases to more than 15% within a reasonably large volume surrounded by the ECR surface and locally reaches as high as 25%.