The dissociation degree of nitrogen molecules is examined in a microwave discharge nitrogen–rare gas mixture plasma with a total discharge pressure of 1 Torr, by actinometry measurement. Although the spectral line from the excited nitrogen atoms is overlapped by the band spectrum of the N2 first positive system (1PS), the subtraction of the 1PS spectrum fitted theoretically can successfully extract the atomic nitrogen line, which enables actinometry measurement. The nitrogen dissociation degree decreases with increasing mixture ratio of Ar to Kr, whereas it increases with He, which is attributed to the variations in the electron temperature and density. When we dilute the nitrogen with neon, however, we find an anomalous increase in the nitrogen dissociation degree by several orders of magnitude even at a downstream region in the discharge tube. The reason for the dissociation enhancement upon adding neon is discussed in terms of atomic and molecular processes in the plasma.

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