Electron attachment, ionization and drift in c-C₄F₈

Abstract

The pulsed Townsend method has been used to measure the drift velocity ve and the density-normalized effective ionization coefficient (α-η)/N, (α and η are the ionization and attachment coefficients, respectively) in c-C4F8 over the density-normalized electric field strength E/N, 12 Td⩽E/N⩽43 Td and 330 Td⩽E/N⩽600 Td (1 Td = 10-17 V cm2), at pressures between 1 and 7.5 Torr (1 Torr = 133.3 Pa). For 12 Td⩽E/N⩽43 Td, the above parameters were found to be pressure independent, while for the range 330 Td⩽E/N⩽600 Td an inverse dependence of the above coefficients was found for gas pressures less than 2 Torr. Such dependence is believed to be due to the autodetachment of the originally formed, unstable parent negative ion c-C4F8-*. At low E/N, no previous data for ve or (α-η)/N were found for comparison with the present data. A critical field strength of E/Ncrit = 439.5 Td, for which α = η, was found to be in good agreement with previous data.