Modeling of low-pressure microwave discharges in Ar, He, and O sub 2; Similarity laws for the maintenance field and mean power transfer

Journal Article · Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/27.106818· OSTI ID:5709154

Ferreira, C M; Alves, L L; Pinheiro, M; Sa, A B ^[1]

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1. Centro de Electrodinamica de Universidade, Tecnica de Lisboa, Instituto Superior Tecnico, 1096 Lisboa Codex (PT)

A kinetic study of low-pressure microwave discharges in Ar, He, and O{sub 2} is carried out using electron-transport parameters and rate coefficients derived from solutions to the Boltzmann equation, together with the continuity and transport equations for the charged particles, taking into account stepwise-ionization processes. The Boltzmann equation is solved over a wide range of the applied frequency, {omega}/2{pi}, but assuming that {omega} {gt} {tau}{sup {minus}1}{sub e}, {tau}{sub e}, denoting the characteristic time for electron-energy relaxation by collisions. The formulation provides discharge characteristics for the maintenance field and for mean absorbed power per electron in the three gases, which are shown to agree satisfactorily with experimental data obtained from surface-wave discharges. In this paper it is shown that such an agreement would not always be obtained without consideration of the role played by stepwise-ionization processes in sustaining the discharge.

• OSTI ID: 5709154
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States), Vol. 19:2; ISSN 0093-3813
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
ARGON
HIGH-FREQUENCY DISCHARGES
IONIZATION
ATOMS
BOLTZMANN EQUATION
ELECTRON-ION COLLISIONS
ELECTRONS
ENERGY TRANSFER
HELIUM
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOLECULES
OXYGEN
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
RELAXATION
STABILITY
TRANSPORT THEORY
COLLISIONS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
EQUATIONS
FERMIONS
FLUIDS
GASES
ION COLLISIONS
LEPTONS
NONMETALS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
RARE GASES
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