The effects of neutral gas heating on H mode transition and maintenance currents in a 13.56 MHz planar coil inductively coupled plasma reactor

Journal Article · Sat Sep 15 04:00:00 EDT 2012 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4750055· OSTI ID:22086176

Jayapalan, Kanesh K; Chin, Oi-Hoong ^[1]

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1. Plasma Technology Research Centre, Department of Physics, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

The H mode transition and maintenance currents in a 13.56 MHz laboratory 6 turn planar coil inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor are simulated for low pressure argon discharge range of 0.02-0.3 mbar with neutral gas heating and at ambient temperature. An experimentally fitted 3D power evolution plot for 0.02 mbar argon pressure is also shown to visualize the effects of hysteresis in the system. Comparisons between simulation and experimental measurements show good agreement in the pressure range of 0.02-0.3 mbar for transition currents and 0.02-0.1 mbar for maintenance currents only when neutral gas heating is considered. This suggests that neutral gas heating plays a non-negligible role in determining the mode transition points of a rf ICP system.

• OSTI ID: 22086176
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 19; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
ARGON
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
H-MODE PLASMA CONFINEMENT
HEATING
HYSTERESIS
ICP MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MHZ RANGE
PLASMA PRESSURE
PRESSURE RANGE
RF SYSTEMS