Electron kinetics in a collision-dominated SiH4 rf plasma including self-consistent rf field strength calculation

The electron kinetics of a collision-dominated rf plasma in silane has been studied by solving the nonstationary electron Boltzmann equation. Ionization and attachment processes and the spatially averaged electron loss to the plasma wall by ambipolar diffusion have been included in the kinetic approach. This makes it possible to calculate, in addition to the time-resolved energy distribution, the self-consistent rf field amplitude which is necessary for the maintenance of the steady-state rf discharge. The impact of the rf field frequency, of the density ratio of negative ions to electrons, and of superelastic (second kind) collisions with excited silane molecules was studied. In particular, large, rf field amplitudes of about 100 V cm^–1 Torr^–1 result, connected with large modulations of the energy distribution for field frequencies in the megahertz region.     

Electron kinetics of collision dominated r.f. bulk plasma in CO: The role of second-kind collisions

Electron energy distribution functions (EEDF) and related properties in the bulk region of the rf CO plasma at the reduced rf field frequency /p₀=×10⁷ sec^–1 torr^–1 have been calculated by solving the time-dependent spatially homogeneous Boltzmann equation in the presence of second-kind collisions and have been interpreted on a microphysical basis. The results show that second-kind collisions (vibrational and electronic) strongly affect the temporal evolution of EEDF, of the mean energy, and of the mean collision frequencies for vibrational and electronic excitation processes, as well as for ionization. In particular, second-kind collisions in the CO rf bulk plasma strongly decrease the modulation of the mean ionization frequency during its periodical alteration in the rf field. Furthermore, the effect of second-kind collisions on an approximate determination of the time-averaged EEDF in the rf bulk plasma using the so-called effective-field appriximation has been estimated.     

Impact of electron-electron interaction on the electron energy distribution function in molecular plasmas under rf field action

Calculations of the electron energy distribution and of relevant macroscopic quantities of collision-dominated, weakly ionized plasmas under rf field action have been performed with increasing degrees of ionization, and the impact of the electron-electron interaction on these quantities was determined. The investigations were performed for the gas plasmas in CO and H₂ as representatives of molecular plasmas The energy distribution and macroscopic quantities are obtained by solving the nonstationary Bolizmann equation for a given rf field and degree of ionization taking into accoung and additional Fokker-Planck term besides the collision integrals for the elastic and the main inelastic collision processes. In these molecular plasmas a remarkable impact of the electron-electron interaction connected with increasing Maxwellization is observed for degrees of ionization greater than 10.     

Impact of Electron–Electron Collisions on the Spatial Electron Relaxation in Non-Isothermal Plasmas

The impact of electron–electron collisions on the spatial relaxation of electrons in the column-anode plasma of a glow discharge, acted upon by a space-independent electric field and initiated by a constant influx at the cathode side of the plasma, is investigated in inert gas plasmas. The investigations are based on a new method for numerically solving the one-dimensional inhomogeneous Boltzmann equation of the electrons including electron–electron interaction in weakly ionized, collision-dominated plasmas. A detailed analysis of the spatial behaviour of the velocity distribution function and relevant macroscopic properties of the electrons is given for various degrees of ionization and electric field strengths. A significant impact of the electron–electron collisions on the relaxation structure and the resultant relaxation length already at relatively low ionization degrees has been found for low to medium electric fields.     

Microwave Diagnostics in Diffusive and Constricted Medium-Pressure Discharges

The high-frequency (HF) electron current induced in a dc discharge plasma bysuperimposing a HF electric field presents a useful tool for the diagnosticsof the time-dependent electron behavior of the plasma. This response to theHF field has been recently studied in diffusive discharge plasmas at lowergas pressures and discharge currents. These studies are extended tomedium-pressure plasmas operating in the diffusive as well as in theconstricted mode. In particular, the impact of the electron–electroninteraction on the phase delay between the HF field and electron current inconstricted column plasmas has been experimentally and theoreticallyanalyzed. Furthermore, the problem has been studied if, under the conditionsof pronounced electron–electron interaction, the determination of theelectron density will further on be possible by using the phase delay. Themeasurements of the delay have been performed by means of the microwaveresonator method in a medium-pressure krypton glow discharge operating inthe diffusive as well as the strongly constricted mode. In addition, thedelay has been theoretically determined by treating the appropriatetime-dependent electron kinetic equation at high frequencies of thesuperimposed microwave field.     

Measurement of electron densities by a microwave cavity method in 13.56-MHz RF plasmas of Ar,CF4, C2F6, and CHF3

Electron densit ies have been determined /or RF plasmas that were generated within a microwave resonant cavity by measuring the difference of the resonance frequencies with and without plasma. Since that method only yields a value of the electron density weighted ouer the microwave electric field distribution, to obtain real values an assumption on the spatial distribution of the electron density had to he made. Spatial profiles were taken of the emission of a 4s–5p Ar line at 419.8 not (with a small Ar admixture). The electron densities have been determined as a function of pressure and RF power in Ar, CF₄, C₂ F₆ and CHF, plasmas. The results indicate that the electron density for the last three gases decreases as a function of pressure above 50 m Torr. Typical values for the electron density for the investigated parameter range are 1–6 · 10³ cm^–3. Furthermore, the electron density is the lowest in gases with a high attachment cross .section.     

100-femtosecond MeV electron source for ultrafast electron diffraction

A near-relativistic 100-fs MeV electron beam is developed by using a photocathode rf gun for revealing the hidden ultrafast dynamics of intricate molecular and atomic processes in materials through experimentation of ultrafast time-resolved electron diffraction (UED). The transverse and longitudinal dynamics of femtosecond electron beam in the rf gun were studied theoretically by particle simulation. The growths of the emittance, bunch length and energy spread due to the rf and space charge effects were investigated by changing the laser parameters, field gradient and electron charge. The theoretical studies indicate that a 100-fs MeV electron beam with the transverse emittance of 0.1 mm mrad and the relative energy spread of 10⁻³–10⁻⁴ at bunch charge of 0.1–2 pC (10⁶–10⁷ electrons per pulse) is achievable for UED, in which the intensity is three orders of magnitude higher than that produced by the conventional dc or pulsed guns.     

Langmuir probe measurements of axial variation of plasma parameters in 27.1 MHz rf oxygen planar discharges

Langmuir probe studies have been performed on rf (27.1 MHz) discharges in O₂ under planar reactor conditions to determine the axial variation of the plasma parameters (positive ion density, electron temperature, and dc space potential) as a function of pressure (20–220 Pa) and power (10–150 W) or current (0.1–2 A). By monitoring the second derivative of the I–V probe characteristics, the suppression of the rf component in the probe circuit can be optimized. Referring to this problem, numerical studies provide relations for the determination of the residual rf component as well as of the dc component of the plasma potential at incomplete rf compensation. The positive ion density is obtained from the ion saturation currents. Here the effect of collisions between ions and neutral particles within the probe sheath (for p> 100 Pa) is considered. The electron energy distribution function is found to be of the Maxwellian type for all discharge conditions investigated here. If the pressure and the power exceed critical values, the axial charge carrier distribution is characterized by a valley formation in the bulk plasma center. This fact demonstrates that secondary electron emission due to ion impact on the electrode surfaces and following ionization by these electrons near the sheaths in front of the electrodes are significant processes for sustaining the discharge. At low pressures (p60 Pa) the dc plasma potential was found to be identical with the half-peak maintaining voltage of the discharge, in agreement with the model idea of a symmetric rf planar discharge where the rf voltage drop across the bulk plasma can be neglected. For growing pressure, however, the plasma system moves gradually toward a situation where the V-I characteristics of the discharge are significantly controlled by processes in the bulk plasma. This transition depends on the current density.     

The role of dissociative attachment from Rydberg states in enhancing H concentration in moderate- and low-pressure H2 plasma sources

A numerical code, recently developed for describing the kinetics of H₂ microwave discharges obtained in diamond deposition plasma reactors, was used to estimate the importance of dissociative attachment from H₂ Rydberg states in enhancing the production of H⁻ in this kind of discharge. It was also used to investigate H⁻ production in multicusp low-pressure magnetic plasmas. Results show that the dissociative attachment from Rydberg states can be as important as the mechanism involving vibrationally excited molecules in both types of plasmas.     

Time-dependent solution of Boltzmann equation in rf plasmas: A comparison with the effective field approximation

Electron isotropic distribution function (idf) and related quantities in rf plasmas (CO, H₂, Ne), calculated by solving the time-dependent Boltzmann equation, are compared with the corresponding values obtained by using the effective field approximation (efa). We show that the agreement between the two methods depends on the ratio between the applied field frequency and the lumped frequencies for impulse and energy dissipation. In fact, only at moderately high field frequencies are results obtained according to efa comparable with the corresponding ones obtained by the time-dependent solution and subsequent time averaging, while in the other cases differences up to two orders of magnitude are observed.     

An extraction system for low-energy hydrogen ions formed by electron impact

A system has been developed for extracting near-zero kinetic energy H⁻ and D⁻ ions formed by dissociative electron attachment. It is the essential part of a new set-up for vibrational spectroscopy of hydrogen molecules. A magnetic field is used to collimate the probing electron beam. Ions produced by electron collision with the target molecules are collected by the combined action of this field and an electrostatic field penetrating into the interaction region. Highly effective extraction is achieved by taking into account the correct out-of plane displacement of ion trajectories which is usually neglected in similar arrangements. The extraction conditions are mass dependent so that by proper tuning, mass selection of detected ions is achieved. The new system is also used for detecting positive ions created by electron collisions with hydrogen atoms and molecules.     

Experimental check of the high-frequency behavior of the electrons in molecular and atomic gas plasmas

The high-frequency behavior of the electron component in collision-dominated nitrogen plasmas of dc glow discharges, acted upon by an additional microwave field, has been studied on an adequate kinetic basis for field frequencies exceeding the characteristic frequency for energy dissipation in electron collisions with nitrogen molecules. In particular, the phase delay of the electron current density with respect to the driving microwave field has been calculated. To check the validity of the results obtained by the electron kinetic approach, the phase delay has been experimentally determined adapting an appropriate microwave resonator method to the dc plasma. The comparison of the theoretically and experimentally determined phase delay of the ac electron current in the nitrogen plasma leads to a good agreement in the entire range of high-field frequencies and confirms the conclusions on the high-frequency behavior of the electrons deduced from the electron kinetic approach. Using previous results for a neon plasma, the remarkable impact of the atomic data of the collision processes in different gases on the high-frequency behavior of the electron component in these gas plasmas is additionally evaluated.     

Spectroscopic characterization of a microplasma used as ionization source for ion mobility spectrometry

We report a miniaturized excitation source for soft ionization of molecules based on a dielectric barrier discharge. An atmospheric plasma is established at the end of a 500 μm diameter capillary using He as buffer gas. The plasma jet which comes out of the capillary is dependent on the gas flow rate. The mechanism of the production of N₂⁺ outside the capillary, which is relevant for the protonation of molecules and sustains the production of primary ions, is investigated by spatially resolved spectroscopic measurements throughout the plasma. Possible application of such miniaturized plasmas is the ionization of gaseous compounds under atmospheric pressure as an alternative to traditional APCI (atmospheric pressure chemical ionization). The miniaturized plasma was applied as ionization source for ion mobility spectrometry where the common sources are radioactive, thus limiting the place of installation. First measurements of gaseous compounds with such a plasma ion mobility spectrometer with promising results showed detection limits comparable or even better than those obtained using common radioactive ionization sources.     

Optical and Electrical Properties of Polymerizing Plasmas and Their Correlation with DLC Film Properties

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were grown from radiofrequency plasmas of acetylene-argon mixtures, at different excitation powers, P. The effects of this parameter on the plasma potential, electron density, electron temperature, and plasma activity were investigated using a Langmuir probe. The mean electron temperature increased from about 0.5 to about 7.0 eV while the mean electron density decreased from about 1.2 × 10⁹ to about 0.2 × 10⁹ cm^–3 as P was increased from 25 to 150 W. Both the plasma potential and the plasma activity were found to increase with increasing P. Through actinometric optical emission spectrometry, the relative concentrations of CH, [CH], and H, [H], in the discharge were mapped as a function of the applied power. A rise in [H] and a fall in [CH] with increasing P were observed and are discussed in relation to the plasma characteristics and the subimplantation model. The optical properties of the films were calculated from ultraviolet-visible spectroscopic data; the surface resistivity was measured by the two-point probe method. The optical gap, E _G, and the surface resistivity, _s, fall with increasing P. E _G and _s are in the ranges of about 2.0–1.3 eV and 10¹⁴–10¹⁶ /, respectively. The plasma power also influences the film self-bias, V _b, via a linear dependence, and the effect of V _b on ion bombardment during growth is addressed together with variation in the relative densities of sp² and sp³ bonds in the films as determined by Raman spectroscopy.     

Analyte ionization in the inductively coupled plasma

Spatially resolved ion-atom emission intensity ratios for Sr, Ca, Mg, Cd and Zn have been measured at rf power settings of 1.00, 1.25, 1.50, 1.75 and 2.0 kW at a vertical height of 16 mm above the load coil. Measured values of electron density have been used to construct a theoretical local thermal equilibrium (LTE) framework, and ion-atom emission intensity ratios calculated from this framework have been compared to experimentally measured values. The measured ion-atom emission intensity ratios were found to be within an order of magnitude of these calculated LTE ratios.The experimental degree of ionization for these five elements was determined for the various rf input powers. These values have been compared to the analagous LTE values. Both degree of ionization and departure from LTE were found to be strongly correlated with the ionization potential of the element.The radial spatial dependence of the degree of ionization for Cd at an rf power of 1.25 kW has been measured for aerosol flow rates of 0.6, 0.8 and 1.21 m⁻¹ for vertical heights of 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 mm above the load coil. The spatial distribution of electron number density was measured at an rf power of 1.25 kW and at aerosol flow rates of 0.6, 0.8 and 1.21 m⁻¹ and a correlation between degree of ionization and electron density identified. Finally the relative concentration of Cd ions has been calculated from ion spatial emission profiles and plasma operating conditions which produce a maximum in the ion density identified.     

Plasma Characteristics and Antenna Electrical Characteristics of an Internal Linear Inductively Coupled Plasma Source with a Multi-Polar Magnetic Field

The development of a large-area plasma source with high density plasmas is desired for a variety of plasma processes from microelectronics fabrication to flat panel display device fabrication. In this study, a novel internal-type linear inductive antenna referred to as “double comb-type antenna” was used for a large-area plasma source with the substrate area of 880 mm × 660 mm and the effect of plasma confinement by applying multi-polar magnetic field was investigated. High density plasmas on the order of 3.2 × 10¹¹ cm^?3 which is 50% higher than that obtained for the source without the magnetic field could be obtained at the pressure of 15 mTorr Ar and at the inductive power of 5,000 W with good plasma stability. The plasma uniformity <3% could be also obtained within the substrate area. When SiO₂ film was etched using the double comb-type antenna, the average etch rate of about 2,100 Å/min could be obtained with the etch uniformity of 5.4% on the substrate area using 15 mTorr SF₆, 5,000 W of rf power, and ?34 V of dc-bias voltage. The higher plasma density with an excellent uniformity and a lower rf antenna voltage obtained by the application of the magnetic field are related to the electron confinement in a direction normal to the antenna line.     

Optical emission spectroscopy of electron-cyclotron-resonance-heated helium mirror plasmas

In this experiment emission spectroscopy in the 3000–5000 Å range has been utilized to determine the electron temperature (15–60 eV) and ion density (2–5 x 10¹¹ cm^–3) of helium plasmas produced by the Michigan mirror machine⁽¹⁾ (MIMI). The plasma is generated and heated by whistler-mode electron-cyclotron resonance (ECR) waves at 7.43 GHz with 400–900 W power in 80-ms-long pulses. Gas fueling is provided at the midplane region by a leak valve with a range in pressure of 3 x 10 to 2 x 10⁴ Torr. Emission line intensities are interpreted using a model of the important collisional and radiative processes occurring in the plasma. The model examines secondary processes such as radiation trapping, excitation transfer between levels of the carne principle quantum number, and excitation front metastable states for plasmas in the parameter range of MIMI (n _c = 1–6 x 10¹¹ cm^–3). Front the analysis of line intensity ratios for neutral helium, the electron temperature is measured and its dependence upon the gas pressure and microwave power is determined. These temperatures agree with those obtained by Langmuir probe measurements. Art analysis of the line intensity ratio between singly ionized helium and neutral helium yields a measurement of the ion density which is in good agreement with electron density measurements made by a microwave interferometer.     

Dissociative electron attachment to gas-phase glycine

By using a high-resolution electron energy monochromator low-energy electron attachment to gas-phase glycine (H₂NCH₂COOH, or G) has been studied by means of mass spectrometric detection of the product anions. In the same way as for several other biologically relevant molecules no stable parent anion was formed by free electron attachment. The largest dissociative electron attachment (DEA) cross-section, approximately 5×10^–20 m², was observed for (G–H)^–+H at an electron energy of 1.25 eV. Glycine and formic acid (HCOOH) have several common features, because a precursor ion can be characterized by electron attachment to the unoccupied * orbital of the –COOH group. At higher incident electron energies several smaller fragment anions are formed. Except for H^–, which could not be observed in this study, there was good agreement with an earlier investigation by Gohlke et al.     

CHCl3电子吸附速率常数的离子迁移谱

The dissociative electron attachment process for CHCl₃ at different electric field have been studied with nitrogen as drift and carrier gas using corona discharge ionization source ion mobility spectrometry (CD-IMS). The corresponding electron attachment rate constants varied from 1.26×10^-8 cm³/(molecules s) to 8.24×10^-9 cm³/(molecules s) as the electric field changed from 200 V/cm to 500 V/cm. At a fixed electric field in the drift region,the attachment rate constants are also detected at different sample concentration. The ion-molecule reaction rate constants for the further reaction between Cl^- and CHCl₃ are also detected, which indicates that the technique maybe becomes a new method to research the rate constants between ions and neural molecules. And the reaction rate constants between Cl^- and CHCl₃ are the first time detected using CD-IMS.