Langmuir Probe Lab Report

Determination of Plasma Parameters of a Neon DC Plasma Using a

Langmuir Probe

David Sirajuddin
Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences

February 23, 2007

Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

Contents
1 Abstract 2

2 Introduction 2

3 Theory 3
3.1 Langmuir Probe Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.2 Region I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.3 Region II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.4 Region III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.5 Relevent Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.5.1 Current Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.5.2 Saturation Currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.5.3 Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.5.4 Densities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.6 Debye Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.7 Fitting Algorithm for the Electron Retardation Region . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4 Procedure 10

5 Results and Analysis 11

5.1 Calculation of Plasma Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5.2 Revaluation of Electron Temperature Te and Ion Density ni . . . . . . . . . 13

6 Conclusions and Summary 14

7 References 14

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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

1 Abstract
A neon DC plasma was generated between the anode and the cathode in a vacuum
chamber. Various quantities of the neon plasma were measured and calculated with the
use of a Langmuir probe. The bias voltage was varied, allowing for the construction of
the current-voltage characteristics of the probe in the presence of a plasma. The experiment
sought to understand the characteristics of the Langmuir probe, which was physically realized
as a wire probe, and to gain knowledge about the plasma. The mechanics of the experiment
involved only the varying of the voltage, and the recording of the respective currents. From
the data acquired, it was possible to calculate the electron temperature Te , and the electron
density ne . Theoretical considerations allowed for the computation of various other quantities
upon measuring these values. Table 1.1 lists the values found

Quantity Value
Te 1.4249 eV
Ti 0.9219 eV
ne 5.9048 · 1014
ni 4.0199 · 1014
ise 32.2389 µA
isi -0.175 µA
Vf -10.02 V
Vs -2.22 V
λD 3.6518 · 10−4
Table 1.1 - Calculated plasma parameters

where Te is the electron temperature, Ti is the ion temperature, ne and ni are the electron
and ion densities respectively, ise is the electron saturation current, isi is the ion saturation
current, Vs is the plasma potential, Vf is the floating potential, and λD is the Debye length.
After these calculations were done, a second methodology was invoked. A least square linear
fit was fit to the data in the Electron Retardation Region to compensate for possible negative
values in the current. This function was used to calculate the electron temperature Te and
the the ion density ni . These values are listed in Table 1.2 below:

Quantity Value
Te 1.7094 eV
ni 3.891 · 1014 m−3
Table 1.1 - Algorithm computed quantities

In both methods, the results were roughly the same, demonstrating a close agreement.

2 Introduction
The Langmuir probe was utilized to measure fundamental quantities of a neon plasma.
By varying the bias voltage of the probe, the current-voltage characteristics were ascertained.
From the acquired data, both the electron and ion densities and temperatures were found.
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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

Furthermore, from these parameters, other quantities were able to be determined such as
the plasma potential, floating potential, Debye length, and the electron and ion saturation
currents. A least square linear fit was also performed in the transition region to verify the
data yielded from the theoretical considerations.

3 Theory
3.1 Langmuir Probe Characteristics
A Langmuir probe is a metal probe placed into a discharge used as a diagnostic tool
to extract certain measurable parameters of a plasma such as, temperature and density.
The probe selection is done so as to minimize the perturbation of the plasma, such that it
allows for the recording of the characteristics of the plasma without the presence of external
interference. The Langmuir probe used in this experiment was realized as a simple wire.
By varying the bias voltage of the probe, different current values can be measured. A
typical trace of the current-voltage (IV) characteristics of a plasma measured with the use of
a Langmuir Probe is shown in Figure 3.1. The trace is segmented into three regions, labelled
I, II, and III.

Figure 3.1 - Current-voltage characteristics of a Langmuir Probe [Ref. 1].

Each region holds distinct features that are discussed in the subsequent sections.

3.2 Region I
Region I is considered to be for values of the potential V < Vf , where Vf is the floating
potential. The bias voltage is negative, and induces a current of positive ions. Due to
the typically large masses, and hence low mobility, of the ions in plasmas, this current is
measured to be small, and negative. The trace will exhibit a plateau in current, dubbed
the ion saturation current isi , which is a characteristic current attained in which applying a
more negative voltage will not increase the current of positive ions further.

3.3 Region II
Region II involves values of the potential V (Vf , Vs ), where Vs is the plasma potential.
When the bias voltage equals the plasma potential, the probe holds the same potential as the
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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

plasma, and current collected is then attributed exclusively to the mobility of the electrons
in the plasma. As the potential is decreased from the plasma potential the electrons are
continually repelled as per the Boltzmann relation for the electron density ne :

ne = n0 exp(eVs /kTe )
where the reference potential is taken to be at such a value that the electron density
ne = n0 . Beginning at the plasma potential, electrons are initially attracted to the positive
potential of the probe and will form a sheath around it to screen out the electric field pro-
duced. As the sheath becomes developed, a negative space charge surrounds the probe, and
further electrons are repelled by electrostatic interactions. Thus, positive ions are attracted
to the negative sheath formed around the probe to preserve the electrical neutrality of the
plasma, whilst some electrons are permitted to reach the probe by effect. In this region,
the electron current is said to have retarded, and this region is justly called the electron
retardation region. This region exhibits a linearity apparent when viewed on semilog axes.
The electron retardation continues until the probe becomes sufficiently negative so that the
flow of positive ions and electrons exactly equal each other yielding a net current of zero.
The potential at which this occurs is called the floating potential Vf .

3.4 Region III

In the potential region of V > Vs , the electrons are accelerated (and positive ions repelled)
due to a positive potential bias. Increasing the bias voltage further will yield the electron
saturation current, such that increasing any increase of voltage further will not increase the
electron currrent. In practice; however, the electron current is observed to get larger with
increasing voltage without bound. This is due to the idea that with the increased voltage is
an increase of Debye length, and hence collection area, leading to a larger current collected.
The current is observed to increase until the current tends to infinity, signifying the probe
has broken down.

3.5 Relevent Equations

3.5.1 Current Collection
The current collected on the probe is formulated subject to the following conditions:

1. There is no external magnetic field

2. The probe perturbs the plasma insignificantly, such that the probe current is small
compared to the discharge current.
3. The electrons and positive ions must be in thermodynamic equilibrium.
4. The collected current can be approximated as one dimensional current normally inci-
dent on the surface area.
5. Each particle contacting the probe does not react with the probe, and is instead col-
lected.
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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

The probe is envisaged to undergo a projection so as to transform the 3-dimensional

probe onto a 2-dimensional plane. The probe, physically realized as a wire in experiment, is
taken to be the total surface area exposed to the plasma and is projected onto a 2-D plane
to simplify the analysis by allowing for a consideration of only one area, the surface area
of the probe Ap . Assuming this planar probe lies along the xy-plane (Figure 3.x), current
collected originates from particles travelling in the z-direction.

Figure 3.2 - A probe of area Ap is envisioned to collect current only if particles are normally incident on
its surface area.

Electron and positive ion current can be presumed to obey the same fundamental physics,
thus a formulation of either electron or ion current will yield identical results. An average
electron current has units of Amperes, or charge per second. Thus, the current is expected to
be dependent on the average rate at which electrons are incident on the probe (i.e. average
speed), the collector surface area, the electron density, and the electronic charge, such that:

Je = v¯z ene Ap (1)

where v¯z is the average speed in the z-direction, e is the electronic charge, ne is the
electron density, and Ap is the probe surface area. To find the average velocity v¯z , a normal-
ized Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution f (~v ) is enforced to describe the velocity spread in the
plasma, so that

3/2
m

1
e(− 2 m~v /kTe )
2
f (~v ) = (2)
2πKTe
where m is the electron mass, k is Boltzmann’s constant, and Te is the electron tempera-
ture. Separating the vector ~v into its cartesian components, such that ~v = vx + vy + vz , and
d~v = dvx dvy dvz . It then follows from the formal definition of an expectation value, that

R∞ R∞
vy v∞
R
−∞ d~vx −∞ d~ min z
~v f (~v )d~vz
v¯z = R∞ (3)
−∞ f (~
v )d~v
Where the function is integrated over all velocities in the x- and y-directions to establish
the function f (~v ) as having only a z-dependence. The function is multiplied by a factor vz
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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

and integrated over all electron velocities that are able to reach the collector. The velocity
vmin represents the minimum velocity needed by an electron to reach the probe, and can be
found by a simple energy balance.
It follows that for an electron to reach the detector, the electron velocity must be such
that it is holds a kinetic energy greater than or equal to the energy created by the difference
of the bias voltage Vb and the the plasma potential Vs . That is to say,

1 2
mv = e(Vb − Vs )
2 min q
→ vmin = 2e(Vb − Vs )/m (4)

Furthermore, noting that the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution function is normalized,

the integral in the denominator of Eqn. (3) is simply unity. Combining this observation
with a representation of the velocity vector ~v in component form, the expectation value can
be rewritten as

Z ∞ Z ∞ Z ∞
v¯z = ~vz f (~v )d~vz d~vy d~vx
−∞ −∞ vmin

Replacing the function f (~v ) with the explicit representation in Eqn. (2) yields a solvable
equation.

v~x 2 + v~y 2 + v~z 2

3/2 " !#
Z ∞ Z ∞ Z ∞ 
m 1
v¯z = ~vz exp − m d~vz d~vy d~vx
−∞ −∞ vmin 2πkTe 2 kTe
1 mv~x 2 1 mv~y 2 1 mv~z 2
3/2 Z ! ! !

m ∞ Z ∞ Z ∞
= exp − d~vx exp − d~vy ~vz exp − dv~z
2πkTe −∞ 2 kTe −∞ 2 kTe vmin 2 kTe
The integrals involved in the above equations are of the general form

1 mα2
!
Z ∞
exp − dα
−∞ 2 kTe
for some variable α. Invoking the substitution β = 12 m/KTe , the above equation can be
revaluated as

Z ∞  
exp −βα2 dα (5)
−∞

Since the function is continuous for all space, and the velocity vectors form a disjoint
continuous set, the order of integration is interchangeable, and Eqn. (5) can be integrated
by way of a change of variables to polar coordinates, or using the Gamma function to yield
the result:
s s
Z ∞   π 2πkTe
exp −βα2 dα = =
−∞ β m
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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

q
Thus, integration over all velocities with respect to ~vx and ~vy simply append two terms
of 2πkTe /m in the formulation of v̄z . Inputting this result gives:

s s
1 mv~z 2
3/2 !
m 2πkTe 2πkTe Z ∞

v̄z = dv~z ~vz exp −
2πkTe m m vmin 2 kTe
1 mv~z 2
3/2 ! !
m 2πkTe Z ∞

= dv~z ~vz exp −
2πkTe m vmin 2 kTe
1 mv~z 2
1/2 Z !

m ∞
= dv~z ~vz exp − (6)
2πkTe vmin 2 kTe

Evaluation of this final integral yields an equation for the average current collected

!1/2 !
kTe e(Vb − Vs )
v̄z = exp − (7)
2πm kTe

Inserting this result into Eqn. (1), and changing variables gives the following current-
voltage relationship:

!1/2 !
kTe e(V − Vs )
ie = Ap ene exp (8)
2πm kTe

where ie has been casted as the electron current, and V is the potential.

3.5.2 Saturation Currents

The electron saturation current discussed in Section 3.3, can be found by considering the
case of the bias voltage VB being much greater than the plasma potential Vs . In this case,
almost all velocities in the Maxwellian spread of velocities will reach the collector, and the
current will exhibit a plateau in the IV characteristics trace of Figure 3.1. Performing the
integral in Eqn. (3) over all velocities then yields the electron saturation current, ise :

s
kTe
ise = ene Ap (9)
2πm
Similarly, for cases in which the bias voltage is much less than the plasma potential, the
trace will show a plateau in region I, such that the current is negative. This plateau is the
ion saturation current isi . Integrating Eqn. (3) for in this scenario gives

s
kTe
isi = 0.61eni Ap (10)
M

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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

3.5.3 Temperature
The electrons and positive ions are customarily approximated to be at the same temper-
ature, but in practice, these values are necessarily different. The electron saturation current
can be found by exploiting the linearity of the electron retardation region, when viewed on
semilog axes. Taking the natural logarithm of the current-voltage relationship of Eqn. (8)
yields the following

 s " #
kTe e(V − Vs ) 
ln(ie ) = ln Ap ene exp
2πm kTe
 s  " #!
kTe  e(V − Vs )
= ln Ap ene + ln exp
2πm kTe
 s 
kTe  e(V − Vs )
ln(ie ) = ln Ap ene + (11)
2πm kTe

It then follows that if two arbitrary current values, i1 and i2 , are selected in this region,
the difference i1 − i2 allows for an explicit representation of the electron temperature Te , in
units of o K:

e(V1 − V2 )
Te (o K) = (12)
k · ln(i1 /i2 )

Multiplication of the above equation by Boltmann’s constant, k, in units of eV/K, gives

the electron temperature Te in terms of eV.

e(V1 − V2 )
Te (eV ) = (13)
ln(i1 /i2 )

The ion temperature can be found by manipulation of Eqn. (5.11) (Ref. 1).

1 Te M
 
Vs − Vf = Te (eV )ln
2 Ti m
!
Te M 2(Vs − Vf )
→ Ti = exp − (14)
m Te

which gives the ion temperature Ti in terms of eV.

3.5.4 Densities
Densities can be expressed in terms of all ready derived formulae, and are listed here for
completeness.
Solving for the electron density ne in Eqn. (9) yields the following relationship:
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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

s
ise 2πm
ne = (15)
eAp KTe

and, the ion density ni can be extracted from Eqn. (10) to give

s
|isi | M
ni = (16)
eAp KTe

where both densities are in units of m−3 , and the absolute value sign in Eqn. (16) has
been enforced because the ion current isi < 0.

3.6 Debye Length

The Debye length λD is a characteristic length scale that measures the distance over
which significant charge separation can occur. If a foreign body is placed in the plasma with
a necessarily different potential, the plasma will respond so as to screen out, or dampen, the
external potential. This is realized in the plasma as a sheath of electrons or positive ions
bombarding the body by consequence of the localized electric field formed by the introduced
charge separation. It is usually assumed that the positive ions are much colder than the
electrons thereby eliminating the dependence on the ions. Considering only electrons, a
layer will form around the body so as to preserve electrical neutrality of the plasma. The
thickness of this sheath is directly reflexive of the temperature and density of the plasma.
The sheath is formed by restriction of the plasma density. Denser plasmas will necessitate
smaller Debye lengths in order to counteract the external potential because of their large
charge to volume ratio. In a less dense plasma, a larger layer need be formed to accumulate
the same amount of electrical charge. The Debye length is also intuitively proportional to
the electron temperature Te . This follows from the idea that higher temperatures necessarily
involve higher mobility of electrons. Higher mobility of electrons will cause a less stable
layer to form (in the regard of electrons will blur the sheath by way of their movement).
This demands a larger sheath be formed and thusly a larger Debye length. With these
observations, and solving Poisson’s equation, a formulation of the Debye Length can be
determined:

s
0 kTe
λD = (17)
ne e2
where 0 is the permittivity of free space.

3.7 Fitting Algorithm for the Electron Retardation Region

In Section 3.5, the electron temperature Te was determined by applying a natural log-
arithm to the current. In practice, negative values of the current are often found in the
transition region. Thus, taking a natural logarithm of these values would yield nonsensical
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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

results. In order to rectify this problem, it is noted that though the currents may be nega-
dI
tive, the derivative dV > 0. By way of analog, the relation for electron temperature Te can
be rewritten to incorporate these derivatives

V2 − V1
Te = 
di
 
di
 (18)
ln dV
− ln dV
2 1

Using customary finite difference methods, vectors {Vj , Ij } were constructed for values in
the electron retardation region, where j denotes the j th element of the vectors (j = 1, 2, ...). A
ratio of finite differences
  of the
 the voltage to that of current were stored in a new derivative
dI ∆I
vector d (i.e. dV ≈ ∆V ). Forward substitution was used for j=1, central differences
j j
were used for the intermediate values, and a backward difference was used for j = jmax , where
jmax is the final index of the constructed vectors. A natural logarithm was taken of the this
derivative vector, and a least square linear fit was performed. The electron temperature was
thusly computed by taking the reciprocal of the slope, that is to say

Te = 1/slope (19)

where Te is in units of eV. With this new temperature, a new estimation of the ion density
ni was found via the following:

i+
s
ni ≈ q (20)
0.61Ap e kTe /M

the electron temperature and ion density were then made to be outputted by the algo-
rithm (Matlab code is attached in the Appendix )

4 Procedure
Neon gas was contained in a OA4G gas tube at a pressure of 1 Torr. The experimental
setup is shown in Figure 4.1.

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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

Figure 4.1 - Schematic of the experimental setup [Ref. 1].

The plasma was generated between the cathode and the grid via a DC circuit, with the
wire acting as the anode. The voltage was adjusted so as to generate the plasma, and the
probe power supply was set initially to the point at which no current was registered by the
ammeter (i.e. V = Vf ). The voltage was varied to increasingly negative values, with current
values denoted to find the ion saturation current ise . The power supply was then returned
to 0 V, and the polarity was switched to positive, so that further measurements could be
taken in regions of positive bias potential. The probe voltage was increased in approximate
step sizes of 0.5 V to fully capture the electron retardation region. The electron saturation
current ise was reached, and the voltage was increased further until the probe reached the
breakdown region (current → ∞). The gathered data was subsequently analyzed.

5 Results and Analysis

5.1 Calculation of Plasma Parameters
The probe has dimensions of height h = 0.85 mm, and a diameter of D = 0.55 mm. These
2
dimensions yielded an effective surface area Ap = D2 + πDh = 1.7063 · 10−6 m−2 . A plot of
the current vs. the voltage was plotted on semilog axes and shown in Figure 5.1.

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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

Figure 5.1 - A probe of area Ap is envisioned to collect current only if particles are normally incident on
its surface area.

The data reveals typical current-voltage characteristics in a Langmuir probe. The cor-
responding regions in theory are identified. In region II, the plot reveals linear character,
and is representative of the electron retardation region. For larger values of the voltage, the
electron current reaches a plateau signifying the electron saturation current ise . Beyond this,
the data abruptly curves upward, as the current grows without bound, which is reflective of
probe breakdown. Since the current held negative values for certain voltages, the semilog
plot only used positive values. Thus, another plot is shown of current versus voltage to
identify the ion saturation current, which occurs at negative current values (Figure 5.2).

Figure 5.2 - A probe of area Ap is envisioned to collect current only if particles are normally incident on
its surface area.

Region I shows a definite plateau for negative values of current. This negative current is
realized as the ion saturation current, isi . From these plots, and the equations developed in
previous sections, various parameters were computed. Recalling that the slope of the natural
log plot in Figure 5.1 is inversely proportional to the electron temperature, the electron
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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

temperature Te was calculated as per Eqn. (13). The plasma potential was approximated
from the break in the curve, the floating potential was found from the voltage corresponding
to a current of zero. An arithmetic mean was taken to find a value of the electron saturation
current for various values of the current in the plateau region of Figure 5.1. The same
procedure was done to find the ion saturation current. From these values, Eqns. (15), and
(16) were used to compute the corresponding densities. The Debye length was found via
Eqn. (17), and the value of the current where breakdown occurred Vmax was denoted as the
last recorded voltage as the curve abruptly bended upward. The calculated values are given
in Table 5.1.

Ap 1.7063 · 10−6 m2
Vs -2.22 V
Vf -10.02 V
Vmax 19.24
ise 32.2389 µA
isi -0.175 µA
Te 1.4249 eV
Ti 0.9219 eV
ne 5.9048 · 1014
ni 4.0199 · 1014
λD 3.6518 · 10−4
Table 5.1 - Calculated plasma parameters

5.2 Revaluation of Electron Temperature Te and Ion Density ni

Based upon the discussion in Section 3.6, an algorithm was programmed to account for
the possible negative values of the current in the electron retardation region. Vectors were
constructed as per Section 3.6. The code used are attached in the Appendix. A linear
function was fitted for the data corresponding to the data (Vj , dj ):

V = 0.5855d + 3.4855 (21)

The function is plotted over the data in Figure 5.3.

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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

Figure 5.3 - Current vs. ln(dI/dV) data is plotted alongside the fitted function as per the algorithm.

Recognizing that the electron temperature is simply the reciprocal of the slope of this
function, a new Te value is computed. Furthermore, using Eqn. (x), the ion density ni is
revaluated. These two quantities are given in Table 6.2.
Quantity Revaluated Parameters Theoretical Parameters Percent Difference
Te 1.7094 eV 1.4249 eV 19.96%
ni 3.891 · 1014 m−3 4.0199 · 1014 5.305%
Table 5.2 - Revaluated plasma parameters using the fitting algorithm versus the previously calculated
parameters

The value computed with the algorithm are shown to have close agreement with those
computed previously in Table 5.1.

6 Conclusions and Summary

The characteristics of both a Langmuir probe and a neon plasma were investigated in this
experiment. The values calculated directly reflected theoretical considerations. The probe
illustrated the typical trace that the Langmuir probes IV characteristics tend to exhibit.
The electron and ion densities were approximately equal. The temperature of the electron
was higher than the ion temperature, owing to the electrons high mobility. The electron
saturation current was also approximately 30 times larger than the ion saturation current.
Again, this is an expected reflection of the ions being much more massive, and less mobile
compared to the electrons. The Debye length was found to be smaller than the probe which
indicated that the probe did not perturb the plasma significantly, and the values obtained in
lab can be considered to a general degree as valid. In all, the data yielded a close agreement
among theory, literature, and experiment.

7 References
1. Gilgenbach, R., phD., NERS575: Langmuir Probe. Laboratory Instructions, Winter
2007.
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Sirajuddin, David Lab 3 - Langmuir Probe

2. Lieberman, Michael A., Lichtenberg, Allan J. Principles of Plasma Discharges and

Materials Processing, Second Edition. Wiley-Interscience, New Jersey, 2005.

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