Inductively Coupled Plasma - Applications

Applications

Plasma temperatures can range between 6 000 K and 10 000 K, comparable to the surface of the sun. ICP discharges are of relatively high electron density, on the order of 1015 cm−3. As a result, ICP discharges have wide applications where a high-density plasma is needed.

• ICP-AES, a type of atomic emission spectroscopy.
• ICP-MS, a type of mass spectrometry.
• ICP-RIE, a type of reactive-ion etching.

Another benefit of ICP discharges is that they are relatively free of contamination because the electrodes are completely outside the reaction chamber. By contrast, in a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), the electrodes are often placed inside the reactor and are thus exposed to the plasma and subsequent reactive chemical species.