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Attachment and ionization in a self-consistent treatment of the electron kinetics of a collision-dominated rf plasma

Journal Article · · Plasma Chem. Plasma Process.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01016516· OSTI ID:5376489

This paper deals with the self-consistent determination of the rf field amplitude for sustaining the steady-state collision-dominated weakley ionized plasmas in the bulk of the rf discharge and of the time-resolved behaviior of the isotropic part of the distribution function as well as of relevant macroscopic quantities in plasmas whose particle loss is dominantly determined by electron attachment. The strict time-resolved treatment is based on the nonstationary Boltzmann equation of the electrons and its numerical solution including, apart from electron number conservative collision processes, the electron attachment and ionization. The investigations are related to an rf plasma in a model gas and in SF/sub 6/ and are performed for reduced rf field frequencies around 10 MHz Torr/sup -1/ which are of particular interest from the point of application of rf discharges for plasma processing. The numerical results show that large field amplitude of around 160 V cm/sup -1/ Torr/sup -1/ is necessary to maintain the discharge and that the isotropic distribution, the relevant collision frequencies for attachment and ionization, and the electron density undergo a large modulation during a period of the rf field.

Research Organization:
Institutsteil Greifswald (German Democratic Republic)
OSTI ID:
5376489
Journal Information:
Plasma Chem. Plasma Process.; (United States), Journal Name: Plasma Chem. Plasma Process.; (United States) Vol. 7:3; ISSN PCPPD
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English