Abnormal Heating of Low-Energy Electrons in Low-Pressure Capacitively Coupled Discharges

Journal Article · Fri Feb 23 04:00:00 EST 2007 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.98.085003· OSTI ID:20957685

Park, G Y; You, S J; Iza, F; Lee, J K ^[1]

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1. Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 790-784 (Korea, Republic of)

In low-pressure capacitively coupled plasmas, high-energy electrons are collisionlessly heated by large rf fields in the sheaths while low-energy electrons are confined in the bulk plasma by the ambipolar potential. Low-energy electrons are typically inefficiently heated due to their low collisionality and the weak rf electric field present in the bulk. It is shown, however, that as a result of the nonlinear interaction between the electron motion and the weak rf field present in the bulk, low-energy electrons can be efficiently heated. Electrons in the bulk that bounce inside the electrostatic potential well with a frequency equal to the rf excitation frequency are efficiently heated by the coherent interaction with the rf field. This resonant collisionless heating can be very efficient and manifest itself as a plateau in the electron energy probability function.

• OSTI ID: 20957685
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 98; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRONS
EXCITATION
HEATING
INTERACTIONS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PLASMA
POTENTIALS
PROBABILITY