Inductively coupled RF oxygen plasma characterization by optical emission spectroscopy

Optical emission spectroscopy was applied for the characterization of inductively coupled RF oxygen plasma at pressures between 10 and 300 Pa. The plasma was generated with an RF generator at a frequency of 27.12 MHz and output power of 300 W. Spectra were measured in the range 200–1100 nm by an optical spectrometer. At high pressure, the main spectral features observed were the wavelengths of the atomic oxygen transitions at 777.2 and 844.6 nm. Molecular oxygen band at 762 nm was observed as well. The atomic emission intensity showed a maximum when the pressure was about 75 Pa, while molecular band intensity increased monotonically as the total pressure increased. On decreasing the oxygen pressure, other atomic and molecular features appeared in spectra, such as H atomic lines, molecular OH band, and O2+ band. The behavior of spectral features was explained by collision phenomena in the ionized gas.