No Arabic abstract
In this work, we analyze the creation of the discharge asymmetry and the concomitant formation of the DC self-bias voltage in capacitively coupled radio frequency plasmas driven by multi-frequency waveforms, as a function of the electrode surface characteristics. For this latter, we consider and vary the coefficients that characterize the elastic reflection of the electrons from the surfaces and the ion-induced secondary electron yield. Our investigations are based on Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision simulations of the plasma and on a model that aids the understanding of the computational results. Electron reflection from the electrodes is found to affect slightly the discharge asymmetry in the presence of multi-frequency excitation, whereas secondary electrons cause distinct changes to the asymmetry of the plasma as a function of the phase angle between the harmonics of the driving voltage waveform and as a function the number of these harmonics.
We propose a method to generate a single peak at a distinct energy in the ion flux-energy distribution function (IDF) at the electrode surfaces in capacitively coupled plasmas. The technique is based on the tailoring of the driving voltage waveform, i.e. adjusting the phases and amplitudes of the applied harmonics, to optimize the accumulation of ions created by charge exchange collisions and their subsequent acceleration by the sheath electric field. The position of the peak (i.e. the ion energy) and the flux of the ions within the peak of the IDF can be controlled in a wide domain by tuning the parameters of the applied RF voltage waveform, allowing optimization of various applications where surface reactions are induced at particular ion energies.
The kinetic origin of resonance phenomena in capacitively coupled radio frequency plasmas is discovered based on particle-based numerical simulations. The analysis of the spatio-temporal distributions of plasma parameters such as the densities of hot and cold electrons, as well as the conduction and displacement currents reveals the mechanism of the formation of multiple electron beams during sheath expansion. The interplay between highly energetic beam electrons and low energetic bulk electrons is identified as the physical origin of the excitation of harmonics in the current.
We demonstrate experimentally that the void in capacitively-coupled RF complex plasmas can exist in two qualitative different regimes. The bright void is characterized by bright plasma emission associated with the void, whereas the dim void possesses no detectable emission feature. The transition from the dim to the bright regime occurs with an increase of the discharge power and has a discontinuous character. The discontinuity is manifested by a kink in the void size power dependencies. We reproduce the bright void (mechanically stabilized due to the balance of ion drag and electrostatic forces) by a simplified time-averaged 1D fluid model. To reproduce the dim void, we artificially include the radial ion diffusion into the continuity equation for ions, which allows to mechanically stabilize the void boundary due to very weak electrostatic forces. The electric field at the void boundary occurs to be so small that it, in accordance with the experimental observation, causes no void-related emission feature.
An 18-level argon collisional radiative model (CRM) suitable for low pressure was established. The model can be solved by combining the optical emission spectroscopy (OES) with Langmuir probe calibration. In the capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs) with different frequency and power, the electron temperature and density obtained by the model were compared with those measured by Langmuir probe. It is found that the calibration point at any frequency or power is suitable for the fixed pressure. This method was then applied to the diagnosis of triple-frequency (TF) CCPs, it is shown that the high frequency (HF) power mainly controls the electron density, the low frequency (LF) power mainly controls the electron temperature, and the intermediate frequency (IF) power was between the two. Compared with the dual-frequency (DF) CCPs, it is found that with the increase of IF power, the HF power can control the electron density more independently with less influence on the electron temperature.
Electron evaporation plays an important role in the electron temperature evolution and thus expansion rate in low-density ultracold plasmas. In addition, evaporation is useful as a potential tool for obtaining colder electron temperatures and characterizing plasma parameters. Evaporation theory has been developed for atomic gases and has been applied to a one-component plasma system. We numerically investigate whether such an adapted theory is applicable to ultracold neutral plasmas. We find that it is not due to the violation of fundamental assumptions of the model. The details of our calculations are presented as well as a discussion of the implications for a simple description of the electron evaporation rate in ultracold plasmas.