A Steady State Cusp Device for Plasma Studies and Technological Applications

A steady state plasma device has been built at the Institute of Plasma Physics (IFP) in Milano (Italy). The magnetic field confinement has a cusp configuration. A description of the experimental device is here presented. The plasma characteristics have been measured by Langmuir probes. The most significant results (e.g. highest values for the plasma density) have been obtained by a plasma source based on the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR). By ECR plasma source electron temperature of 5 eV and plasma density up to 1011 cm-3 have been reached for an argon gas. The applications of the experimental device cover basic plasma physics studies and technological applications (e.g. hydrogen formation by methane cracking).