Abstract

The electrical characteristics of DC Nitrogen-Hydrogen mixture glow discharge were investigated. The discharge current-voltage (I-V) characteristic curves of the discharge were measured at different gas pressures and gas mixture percentage. The axial distribution of both potential and electric field were studied at different H₂percentage. The existence of the reversal electric field in the negative glow region was confirmed. Using the axial electric field distribution, the cathode fall thickness (X_c) was calculated. Second derivative of the single Langmuir probe electron current method was used to measure the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) in (N₂-H₂) gas mixture DC glow discharge at different H₂ percentage. In the positive column region, a Maxwellian EEDF was found at different conditions, while in both cathode fall and negative glow regions, a non-Maxwellian EEDF was observed. Two groups of electrons were detected in these two regions.

Key words: Glow discharge, axial potential and electric field distributions, Paschen's curves, Langmuir probes.