ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) Plasma Source

ECR excitation method also use microwave to heat up electrons. In ECR plasma source, permanent magnets or solenoid coils are used to generate strong magnetic field. All the free electrons will rotate with same frequency that can be calculated with the equation below:

ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) equation

Once the input microwave frequency matches the electron cyclotron frequency, a resonating effect will heat up the massive number of electrons and generates plasmas.

Principle of ECR discharge
Principle of ECR discharge