Observation of Drift Wave

Instability in Magnetized
Microwave Sheet Plasma

Penado, Keith Nealson Montanez

Applied Physics Laboratory, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University
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Research Background
• Production of high-volume
plasma is of interest for various
industrial, fusion, and space
applications.
• Sheet plasma production is able
to contain higher density plasma
over a wider area which makes it
viable for such applications.
• Sheet plasma however requires
a high magnetic field which
causes particular instabilities in
the plasma. Retrieved From: J. Uramoto. Shinku (in Japanese). 25, 719 (1982)

Figure 1. Magnetic Field lines of the Uramoto-type sheet plasma.

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Theory
• In a radial magnetized plasma,
an ion density gradient is formed
moving towards the region with
the highest magnetic field.
• This causes a potential
difference which drives the
gyration of the ions and
electrons to counteract the
applied magnetic field.
• The goal is to be able to
describe the behavior of this Retrieved From: F.Chen. Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled
Fusion. Plenum Press, New York. 1984.
phenomenon in sheet plasma. Figure 2. Schematic description of the ExB drift.
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Methodology
• The sheet plasma is produced by a
6.45GHz microwave power source
which is introduced to the system
via a tapered copper waveguide
• The following parameters were
used in the experiment:
• Working Pressure: 0.5Pa
• Coil Current: 15A
• Applied Power: 1kW
• A variable potential probe coupled
to the Yokogawa GS610 SMU is
used to obtain the IV curves at Figure 3. Schematic design of the magnetized microwave sheet
various positions along the x-axis. plasma system (Gines,2019).
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Results

0.08
X=-24 X=-12
X=-21 X=-9
0.08

X=-6
X=-18
X=-3
X=-15 X=0

0.06
X=-12 X=3
X=6
0.06

X=9

Current (A)
X=12
Current (A)

X=15

0.04
X=18
0.04

0.02
0.02

0.00
0.00

-40 -20 0 20 40 -40 -20 0 20 40

Voltage (V) Voltage (V)

Figure 4. IV curves obtained by a variable potential probe at various positions along the x-axis of the system.
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Results X=-18 X=0

• Using Fast Fourier Transform

(FFT), the frequency
dependence of the probe
current shows harmonic
behavior at a range of x=-12 to X=-12 X=12
x=12. The behavior is not
prominent however at x=-3,and
x=6.
• The harmonic behavior is more
prominent the further away from X=9 X=-18
the center, which is possibly
located at the range of x=3, and
x=6, due to the higher electric
potential in these regions. Figure 5. Frequency dependence of electron saturation probe
current along the x-axis.
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X=-24 X=-21 X=-18 X=-15 X=-12

X=-9 X=-6 X=-3 X=0 X=3

X=6 X=9 X=12 X=15 X=18

Figure 6. Frequency dependence of electron saturation probe current along the x-axis (15A 0.5Pa 1kW).
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X=-24 X=-21 X=-18 X=-15 X=-12

X=-9 X=-6 X=-3 X=0 X=3

X=6 X=9 X=12 X=15 X=18

Figure 7. Frequency dependence of ion saturation probe current along the x-axis (15A 0.5Pa 1kW).
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Future Plans
• Improve the parameters of the experiment to remove the
background signal by using an electrostatic probe at regions with
noticeable harmonic changes.
• Analyze the magnetic field dependence of the frequency behavior
of the electron and ion saturation regions.
• Assist Dr. Gines with experiments on localized heating of the
quartz window under ECR conditions.
Observation of Drift Wave
Instability in Magnetized
Microwave Sheet Plasma

Penado, Keith Nealson Montanez

Applied Physics Laboratory, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University
Figure X. Frequency dependence of the electron saturation probe current with increasing coil current (X=6 0.5Pa
1kW). Time Resolved.