Abstract

Dc-arc jets are of current interest for a number of applications, including spray and chemical-vapor deposition of coatings and plasma propulsion. An important parameter for characterizing dc-arc jets is the gas density, which is useful for understanding of the dynamics of the jet and may be useful for process control during film and coating deposition. The measurement of gas density exiting into low pressures typical for applications such as diamond-film deposition and plasma propulsion is particularly challenging because the gas densities are low.

© 1995 Optical Society of America