Rotating spokes, potential hump and modulated ionization in radio frequency magnetron discharges

Xu, Liang; Sun, Haomin; Eremin, Denis; Ganta, Sathya; Kaganovich, Igor; Bera, Kallol; Rauf, Shahid; Wu, Xuemei

doi:10.1088/1361-6595/ad01db

Title: Rotating spokes, potential hump and modulated ionization in radio frequency magnetron discharges

Journal Article · 20 October 2023 · Plasma Sources Science and Technology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/ad01db · OSTI ID:2282129

Xu, Liang ^[1]; Sun, Haomin ^[2];

^[3];

^[4];

^[5];

^[4];

^[1]

Soochow University, Suzhou (China)
Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne (EPFL) (Switzerland)
Ruhr Univ., Bochum (Germany)
Applied Materials, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (United States)
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

Here, in this work, the transition from the gradient drift instability (GDI) into an m = 1 rotating spoke in the radio frequency magnetron discharge was studied by means of the two-dimensional axial-azimuthal (z–y) particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision method. The kinetic model combined with the linear analysis of the perturbation revealed that the cathode sheath (axial) electric field E_z triggers the GDI, deforming the local potential until the instability condition is not fulfilled and the fluctuation growth stops in which moment the instability becomes saturated. The potential deformation consequently leads to the formation of the potential hump, surrounding which the azimuthal electric field E_y is present. The saturation level of E_y was found to be synchronized with and proportional to the time-changing voltage applied at the cathode, resulting in the RF-modulation of the electron heating in the E_y due to $$\nabla B$$ drift. In the saturated stage of the instability, it was shown that the rotation velocity and direction of the spoke present in the simulations agree well with the experimental observation (Panjan 2019 J. Appl. Phys.125 203303). In the instability linear stage, the instability mode wavelength and the growth rate were also found to be in good agreement with the prediction of the GDI linear fluid theory.

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Research Organization:: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-09CH11466

OSTI ID:: 2282129

Journal Information:: Plasma Sources Science and Technology, Vol. 32, Issue 10; ISSN 0963-0252

Publisher:: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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