Ionization of Group II a Elements in the Direct Current Plasma: Effects of Ionization Potential on Emission Profiles

Abstract

Studies of background corrected ion and atom emission profiles of the group IIA elements in the two-electrode direct current plasma show great variation in both vertical and horizontal emission zones. Additionally, an anodic shift of the ion zone with respect to the atom zone is observed for the elements Be, Ca, and Mg, while Sr shows the reverse. Attempts to explain these spatial distributions using mechanisms proposed for the inductively coupled plasma have failed to adequately account for the observed results.