Surface and volume loss of atomic nitrogen in a parallel plate rf discharge reactor

The loss of atomic nitrogen due to surface and volume reactions in a parallel plate rf reactor was investigated using a pulsed N-2 discharge and two-photon laser induced fluorescence detection of ground-state atomic nitrogen. Stainless-steel and aluminium electrode surfaces as well as silicon and boron nitride substrates were investigated for their reactivity with atomic nitrogen within the pulsed discharge environment at 1-5 Torr N-2. Aluminium was found to have a surface loss rate of three to five times less than that of stainless-steel, while boron nitride had the lowest N atom recombination rate of the materials studied. The N atom recombination probability coefficient was found to have an inverse pressure dependence for each of the materials, with values ranging from 0.5 to 0.02%. The volume loss rate of N atoms was also quantified due to minute O-2 impurities introduced into the pulsed rf N-2 discharge.