Kinetic simulations of argon dusty plasma afterglow including metastable atom kinetics

The afterglow of a dusty plasma of rf discharge in argon is simulated by the particle-in-cell-Monte Carlo collision (PIC-MCC) method. The experimental observation that heavy dust contamination of plasma leads to an anomalous increase in the electron density at the beginning of afterglow is explained by release of electrons from the dust surface. Under the assumption that the floating potential of particles is in equilibrium with plasma conditions, the fast cooling of electrons in afterglow plasma due to a rapid escape of hot electrons from the volume leads to a decrease in the magnitude of the floating potential and hence to a loss of charge by dust. The intensive desorption of electrons from nanoparticles is the origin of anomalous behavior of the electron density. At the next stage of afterglow, when the electrons become cool, the plasma decay is defined by ambipolar diffusion. The effect of metastable argon atoms is also considered. Additional ionization due to metastable atom collisions affects the electron temperature but does not change the behavior of the electron density qualitatively.     

A contribution to the study of the influence of metastables in the flowing afterglow plasma

The paper describes an experimental apparatus based on the flowing afterglow technique which enables the study of the role of metastable atoms of the carrier gas by means of titration of the reactant vapour of gas into the flow tube. A study of the behaviour of the electron and ion density and electron distribution of Ar* metastables (Ar as the carrier gas) using Penning ionization of the ethyl alcohol (CH₃CH₂OH) (titration vapour) has been made by means of a described experimental set-up. The method of estimation of the metastables concentration in the decaying flowing afterglow plasma by Langmuir probe technique with use of titrant technique is also studied.     

Role of neon in a decaying high-purity helium plasma

The evolution of the electron and atomic and molecular metastable densities and the radiation of the decaying plasma of helium with a 10^–5-fraction of neon additive is experimentally studied. A model of elementary processes in He–Ne plasma is constructed, which describes the formation and destruction of HeNe⁺ and Ne₂ ⁺ molecular ions and their contribution to the formation of the afterglow spectrum by the electronion recombination. The various criteria influence of neon on the parameters of the decaying plasma are studied. The possibility of determining the amount of neon in helium by measuring the relative intensities of helium molecular bands and neon spectral lines in the afterglow is considered.     

Helium Afterglow without Metastable Particles

Optics and Spectroscopy - We study the afterglow of a pulsed barrier discharge in helium with a small admixture of neon (10‒2%), which creates a plasma with a low density of metastable...     

Peculiarities of plasma decay in the afterglow of a low-pressure pulsed discharge in oxygen

Weakly ionized plasma of a pulsed-discharge afterglow in oxygen at low pressures (0.05–0.15 torr) is investigated using probe diagnostics. The plasma conductivity is measured by supplying an additional probing current pulse at a certain instant during the afterglow. The spectral line intensities are also measured to additionally monitor the densities of charged particles. The measurements of the time behavior of the electron density in an oxygen afterglow plasma confirm the previous conclusion that the electrons escape due to enhanced diffusion, which results in the formation of an ion-ion plasma. The possibility of realizing the opposite ultimate case—the detachment decay regime with an increase in the electron density to the density of positive ions in the first stage and the transition to the electron-ion plasma in the second stage—is demonstrated.     

The study of a homogeneous column of argon plasma at a pressure of 0.5 torr,generated by means of the Beenakker’s cavity

A homogeneous column of argon plasma at a pressure of 0.5 torr, generated by means of the Beenakker cavity, has been investigated by methods of emission spectroscopy, photography and self-consistent 3D modeling in a nonlocal approximation. It is shown that the plasma column, which spreads beyond the resonator, is spatially uniform and it represents the afterglow of the microwave discharge produced inside the cavity. The simulation data of the spatial distributions of the electron energy density and concentrations of electrons, ions and argon atoms in metastable and radiating states are presented. The results of calculations are in agreement with experimental data.     

A review of microelectronic film deposition using direct and remoteelectron-beam-generated plasmas

Soft-vacuum-generated electron beams employed to create a large-area plasma for assisting chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of thin films are reviewed. The electron-beam plasma is used directly, where electron-impact dissociation of feedstock gases plays a dominant role, and indirectly in a downstream afterglow, where electron-impact dissociation of feedstock reactants plays no role. Photodissociation and metastable atom-molecule reactions dominate in the downstream afterglow. The transmitted beam spatial-intensity profiles are quantified from initial generation at a slotted line-shaped cold cathode through acceleration in the cathode sheath and propagation in the ambient gas. The vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) output spectrum and VUV generation efficiency from electron-beam-excited plasmas are measured. The properties of films deposited by direct electron-beam-generated plasma-assisted CVD and downstream afterglow CVD are reviewed and compared to conventional plasma-assisted CVD films     

Determination of the electron energy distribution in a plasma from the first and second derivatives of the probe current

An approach to the reconstruction of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) as the sum of the second derivative of the electron current to the probe and some value proportional to its first derivative is proposed (hereafter we mean derivatives with respect to voltage). Solutions to model problems for typical electron distributions in a plasma show that this approach lowers the systematic error of EEDF reconstruction by several times in comparison with the conventional techniques using Langmuir and diffusion probes. The approach is applicable in a wide range of the ratio of the probe radius to the free path of electrons. It can be used for the determination of fast nonequilibrium electron distribution in neon discharge afterglow and also for the evaluation of the Maxwellian electron temperature in the low-energy range of nitrogen discharge afterglow.     

Plasma sterilization using the RF glow discharge

In the present work, glow discharge oxygen plasma was used to sterilize the Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets. In a self-designed plasma reaction equipment, active species (electron, ion, radical, UV light, etc.) were separated effectively, and the discharge area, afterglow area and remote area were plotted out in the plasma field. Before and after plasma treatment the cell morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that after treatment of 30 s the germicidal effect is 4.26, 3. 84, 2.61, respectively in the three areas on the following conditions: discharge power was 40 W and gas flux was 20 cm³/min. SEM results revealed the cell morphology before and after plasma treatment. The walls or cell membrane cracking was testified by determining the content of protein using coomassie light blue technique. The results from electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) and double Langmuir electron probe showed that electron, ion and oxygen free radical played important roles in sterilization in the discharge area, but only oxygen radicals acted to sterilize the bacteria in the afterglow area and the remote area.     

Diagnosis of a low pressure capacitively coupled argon plasma by using a simple collisional-radiative model

This paper proposes a simple collisional-radiative model to characterise capacitively coupled argon plasmas driven by conventional radio frequency in combination with optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe measurements. Two major processes are considered in this model, electron-impact excitation and the spontaneous radiative decay. The diffusion loss term, which is found to be important for the two metastable states (4s[3/2]₂, 4s'[1/2]₀), is also taken into account. Behaviours of representative metastable and radiative states are discussed. Two emission lines (located at 696.5 nm and 750.4 nm) are selected and intensities are measured to obtain populated densities of the corresponding radiative states in the argon plasma. The calculated results agree well with that measured by Langmuir probe, indicating that the current model combined with optical emission spectroscopy is a candidate tool for electron density and temperature measurement in radio frequency capacitively coupled discharges.     

Non-Maxwellian electron energy distribution function in He,He/Ar,He/Xe/H<Subscript>2</Subscript> and He/Xe/D<Subscript>2</Subscript> low temperature afterglow plasma

Experimental studies of the electron energy distribution function “EEDF” under well defined conditions in flowing afterglow plasma, using a Langmuir probe are reported. The EEDF is measured in He₂ ⁺ and Ar⁺ dominated plasmas and in XeH⁺ and XeD⁺ dominated recombining plasmas. He is used as a buffer gas at medium pressures in all experiments (1600 Pa, 250 K). The deviation of the measured EEDF from Maxwellian distribution is shown to depend on plasma composition and on the processes governing the plasma decay. The influence of energetic electrons produced during the plasma decay on the body and tail of the EEDF is observed. The mechanism of energy balance in afterglow plasma is discussed.     

On the mechanisms of formation of excited hydrogen atoms in a decaying helium-hydrogen plasma

We spectroscopically studied the population of the excited hydrogen atomic states with the principal quantum numbers n=3 and 4 in a decaying plasma produced by a pulsed discharge in a mixture of helium (p=40.4 Torr) with a small amount of hydrogen ([H₂]≈10¹² cm^?3). Experiments on recording the response of the spectral line intensities to a short-duration electron temperature perturbation revealed the contribution of electron-ion recombination to the population of the H*(n=3) states in the early afterglow. The ions produced by collisions of hydrogen molecules with metastable He(2³ S ₁) atoms, whose density decreases relatively rapidly with time in the decaying plasma, were assumed to be involved in this process. No population of the H*(n=4) atomic levels due to electron-ion recombination was found. Our experimental results are consistent with the conclusions of previous studies that excitation transfer during collisions of metastable helium molecules with hydrogen molecules plays a major role in the population of the excited hydrogen atomic states both with n=3 and with n=4 during most of the afterglow.     

Electron distribution function relaxation in monatomic gases

The authors discuss an analytic solution of the Boltzmann equation which describes the relaxation in time of the electron distribution function for electrons in a plasma derived from the monatomic gases He, Ne, Ar, and Xe. It is assumed that there are no perturbing forces on the electrons and that at t=0 they have a Maxwellian distribution function corresponding to an average energy of 2 eV. The electrons then lose energy through elastic collisions with neutrals and eventually energy-equilibrate with the neutrals, which are assumed to be cold. The evolution of the electron distribution function in time and velocity space is calculated for each gas. This model is approximately correct for the afterglow period of an electrical discharge in a monatomic gas. It is possible to calculate a time which is a measure of the decay time of the electron energy in an afterglow plasma     

Vibrationally mediated negative differential resistance in a single molecule

Negative ion density fronts have been shown to occur in electronegative steady-state plasmas with hot electrons. In this Letter, we report theoretical and numerical results on the spatiotemporal evolution of negative ion density fronts during plasma ignition and extinction (afterglow). During plasma ignition, the negative ion fronts are analogous to hydrodynamic shocks. This is not the case during plasma extinction where, although negative ions diffuse freely in the plasma core, the negative ion front propagates towards the chamber walls with a nearly constant velocity.     

13.56 MHz/2 MHz柱状感性耦合等离子体参数的对比研究

通过Langmuir双探针和发射光谱诊断方法,对比研究了驱动频率为13.56 MHz和2 MHz柱状感性耦合等离子体中电子密度和电子温度的径向分布规律.结果表明:在高频和低频放电中,输入功率的增加对等离子体参数产生了不同的影响,高频放电中主要提升了电子密度,低频放电中则主要提升了电子温度.固定气压为10 Pa,分别由高频和低频驱动时,电子密度的径向分布均为"凸型".而电子温度的分布差异比较明显,高频驱动时,电子温度在腔室中心较为平坦,在边缘略有上升;低频驱动时,电子温度随径向距离的增加而逐渐下降.为了进一步分析造成这种差异的原因,在相同放电条件下采集了氩等离子体的发射光谱图,利用分支比法计算了亚稳态粒子的数密度,发现电子温度的径向分布始终与亚稳态粒子的径向分布相反.继续升高气压到100 Pa,发现不论高频还是低频放电,电子密度的径向分布均从"凸型"转变为"马鞍形",较低气压时电子密度的均匀性有了一定的提升,但低频的均匀性更好.     

Dynamics of electron beams in plasmas

The characteristic features of the relaxation of the energy and momentum distribution functions of the electrons in a plasma produced by a low-voltage beam discharge in helium are investigated. It is established that, contrary to widely held opinion, the energy of an intense electron beam may relax due to the wave excitation. The critical currents corresponding to a jumplike transition from one relaxation mechanism to another are measured. The density of metastable helium atoms is determined from the comparative analysis of theoretical and experimental results on the structure of the energy spectrum of the electrons of an intense beam. An intense electron beam is found to become more isotropic in the course of its interaction with Langmuir waves in a collisionless plasma. The cross section for quasi-elastic collisions between the electrons and Langmuir plasmons is estimated. The wave nature of the beam-plasma mechanism for the relaxation of the anisotropic electron energy distribution function is demonstrated, and the mechanism itself is shown to come into play when the discharge current exceeds a certain critical level. The experimental threshold criterion for the energy relaxation of an intense monoenergetic beam is obtained for the first time. It is shown that the relaxation occurs in two stages: the isotropization stage, in which the beam energy decreases insignificantly, is followed by the stage in which the beam relaxes to a state with a plateau-like energy distribution function. The threshold criterion for the relaxation of the anisotropic electron energy distribution function is universal in character regardless of the cause of anisotropy.     

短管螺旋波放电中等离子体参数测量和模式转化研究

对长度为45 cm的短放电管螺旋波放电等离子体进行了Langmuir探针、原子发射光谱以及集成电荷耦合检测器(ICCD)检测诊断,研究螺旋波等离子体的放电特性.Langmuir探针数据显示电子密度在射频功率增加过程中出现两次大幅增长,由此确认了放电模式的转换及螺旋波放电模式的出现.发射光谱测量结果与Langmuir探针测量的电子密度数据一致,发现Ar原子和Ar离子的谱线强度与放电模式变化有着密切相关性.而通过对不同放电模式的ICCD测量,获得射频功率吸收因放电模式转变而变化的方式,认为放电模式转换时电子行为和能量传递方式也发生着变化.     

Temporal evolution of plasma from a highly ionized helium capillarydischarge

The generation of a highly ionized helium capillary plasma and the study of its temporal evolution are discussed. A 30-cm-long and 1-mm-diameter helium plasma was created with well-terminated kiloamp current pulses of 90-ns full width at half-maximum (FWHM). Emission spectroscopy was used to study the recombination of totally stripped ions into hydrogenic helium ions and to measure the evolution of the plasma density from the Stark broadening of HeII transitions. A 1.2-kA discharge current pulse was observed to create a plasma density of 8×10¹⁶ cm^-3 in 1 torr of helium. The maximum intensity of HeII transitions occurs in the afterglow of the discharge pulse, following the collisional recombination of totally stripped ions with plasma electrons when the plasma cools. The study is of interest in relation to the possibility of obtaining amplification in the 164.0-nm line of HeII in a capillary discharge