Self-generated stochastic heating in an rf discharge

Technical Report · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7034308· OSTI ID:7034308

Lichtenberg, A

We have studied the nonlinear dynamics of stochastic heating arising from the reflection of electrons from moving sheaths as an underlying mechanism for electron power deposition in r.f. discharges. We examined the dynamics of the electron collision with the sheaths in the regime in which the sheath motion is small compared to the average electron velocity to de rive a mop that describes the electron motion. We have shown that for high frequency, ({omega}/2{pi}{approx gt}50MHz), the electrons will strike the moving wall with random phase. At low pressures this stochasticity is an intrinsic property of the dynamics. The stochastic electron heating leads to a power law electron distribution. The stochastic heating was determined in both the slow sheath and fast sheath velocity regimes assuming an incident Maxwellian distribution.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Berkeley, CA (United States). Electronics Research Lab.
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FG03-87ER13727
• OSTI ID: 7034308
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/13727-T2; ON: DE92018558
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

664300 -- Atomic & Molecular Physics-- Collision Phenomena-- (1992-)
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700330* -- Plasma Kinetics
Transport
& Impurities-- (1992-)
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
COLLISIONS
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
DYNAMICS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELECTRON-ION COLLISIONS
FREQUENCY RANGE
FUNCTIONS
HEATING
ION COLLISIONS
MECHANICS
MHZ RANGE
MHZ RANGE 01-100
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PLASMA SHEATH
PROGRESS REPORT
RADIATION HEATING
RF SYSTEMS