Compact High-Density Plasma Source Produced by Using Standing Helicon Waves

High-density plasmas of the order of 10(13) cm(-3) are produced by the m = 0 standing helicon wave (SHW) in a short discharge column (10 cm). Unlike conventional helicon wave discharges, high-density plasma production is split into two modes governed by N = 1 and 3 (N is the number of half-wavelengths in the plasma column) SHWs. The external static magnetic field Bo dependence of plasma density rr, shows that N = 3 SHW can produce a density higher than N = 1 SHW at low magnetic field (similar to 200 G). The standing waves are measured and compared using a two-dimensional wave calculation.