Continuum Electrostatic Probe Theory for Large Sheaths on Spheres and Cylinders

Abstract

An approximate analysis is presented for spherical and cylindrical electrostatic probe operation under conditions such that large collision-dominated sheaths are obtained. Analytical expressions are given for the sheath growth as a function of experimentally determined parameters. If pressure and temperatures are known, use of these results makes possible the direct interpretation of electron number density from a single probe measurement.