Nitrogen microwave discharge as a source of excited neutral species for possible surface treatment

A 2450 MHz surface-wave microwave flowing discharge, in pure N2 or in ArN2 mixtures, was used in order to understand the kinetics of the transport of atomic nitrogen along the postdischarge. Atomic nitrogen concentrations were measured by means of a chemiluminescent method of NO titration along the afterglow and some simple kinetic models are presented. These models take into account homogeneous and heterogeneous recombination and, if necessary, reactions between atomic nitrogen and some excited species of N2.