skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Equivalent circuit effects on mode transitions in H{sub 2} inductively coupled plasmas

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4917335· OSTI ID:22408369
; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion, and Electron Beams (Ministry of Education), School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China)

It is well known experimentally that the circuit matching network plays an important role in the mode transition behavior of inductively coupled plasmas. To date, however, there have been no reports of numerical models being used to study the role of the matching circuit in the transition process. In this paper, a new two-dimensional self-consistent fluid model that couples the components of an equivalent circuit module is developed to investigate the effects of the equivalent circuit on the mode transition characteristics of an inductively coupled, hydrogen plasma. The equivalent circuit consists of a current source, impedance matching network, reactor impedance, and plasma transferred impedance. The nonlinear coupling of the external circuit with the internal plasma is investigated by adjusting the matching capacitance at a fixed input current. The electron density and temperature as well as the electromagnetic fields all change suddenly, and the E to H mode transition occurs abruptly at a certain matching capacitance as the impedance matching of the external circuit is varied. We also analyze the fields and the plasma characteristics during the transition process, especially for the case of the capacitive E mode.

OSTI ID:
22408369
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English