Analytical solution for capacitive RF sheath

A self-consistent solution for the dynamics of a high voltage, capacitive radio frequency (RF) sheath driven by a sinusoidal current source is obtained under the assumptions of time-independent, collisionless ion motion and inertialess electrons. Expressions are obtained for the time-average ion and electron densities, electric field and potential within the sheath. The nonlinear oscillation motion of the electron sheath boundary and the nonlinear oscillating sheath voltage are also obtained. The effective sheath capacitance and conductance are also determined. It was found that: (1) the ion-sheath thickness S _m is √50/27 larger than a Child's law sheath for the DC voltage and ion current density; (2) the sheath capacitance per unit area for the fundamental voltage harmonic is 2.452 ϵ₀ /S_m, where ϵ₀ is the free space permittivity; (3) the ratio of the DC to peak value of the oscillating voltage is 54/125; (4) the second and third voltage harmonics are, respectively, 12.3 and 4.2% of the fundamental; and (5) the conductance per unit area for stochastic heating by the oscillating sheath is 2.98 (λ_D/S_m)^2/3 (e ²n₀/mu_e), where n ₀ is the ion density, λ_D is the Debye length at the plasma-sheath edge, and u_e is the mean electron speed     

Evolution of discharge structure in capacitive radio-frequency atmospheric microplasmas

Conventional radio-frequency (rf) nonthermal atmospheric plasmas are generated in a millimeter gap. In this Letter, we present a self-consistent numerical study of rf atmospheric microplasmas in a submillimeter gap comparable to their sheath thickness. It is shown that the narrow electrode gap deforms the discharge structure, ultimately removing the bulk-plasma region and disabling electron trapping. Significantly, these properties permit rf atmospheric microplasmas to operate at very high current densities thus simultaneously achieving higher stability and greater chemical reactivity.     

Anomalous electric-field dependence of excitonic Fano-resonance spectra in semiconductor quantum-wells

Optical absorption spectra due to Fano resonance (FR) of an exciton in a quantum well with an external electric field perpendicular to the layer plane are presented, based on multi-channel scattering calculations incorporating a hole-subband mixing effect. Peak values of the calculated FR spectra exhibit anomalous field-dependent changes. These cannot be accounted for by the commonly-known quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) that has been applied exclusively to bound state spectra. This behavior, ascribable to correlation between Fano couplings and the QCSE, is revealed just in high-resolution spectra, otherwise the field-dependence results in nothing but the same as that of the bound-state spectra.     

Accelerated combined PIC-MCC algorithm for computation of capacitive radio-frequency discharge

A new combined numerical algorithm PIC-MCC (the particle-in-cell method with the collisions modelling by the Monte Carlo method) has been developed for a rapid computation of a radio-frequency (RF) discharge under a low pressure and a high plasma concentration. The results of test computations for various regimes of the capacitive RF discharge glow in argon and helium well agree with experimental data. A high efficiency of the new approach (the combined PIC-MCC algorithm) is demonstrated for modelling the electrons heating in the collisionless regime. This work was supported by RFBR-Flanders grant No. 05-02-19809.     

The influence of electric-field penetration upon electron distribution in M-I-M structures

The penetration of the electric field into the electrodes can modify the angular distribution of electrons in the basic metal electrode of the sandwich cathode. Electrons obtain additional energy n the normal direction so that the transmission probability of the dielectric potential barrier ncreases. The change of the leakage current can reach the value of tens per cent.     

Anomalous electric-field dependence of the temperature-independent electron mobilities in organic molecular crystals

The model proposed by the present author (this journal $\text{28}$, 309 (1978)), which explained successfully the temperature (T)-independent mobilities above about the Debye temperature θ, predicts that the drift velocity becomes saturated in the high-electric-field region when T?θ, and that it makes a peak in the low-field one with an intermediate minimum when $\text{T « θ}$. The boundary between the two regions is on the order of 10⁵ V/cm.     

Evolution of a dust void in a radio-frequency plasma sheath

The onset and growth of a dust void are investigated in a radio-frequency (rf) sheath of a capacitively coupled argon plasma. A circularly symmetric void emerges and grows with increasing rf power and pressure in the central region of the dust cloud levitating in the sheath. Experimental measurements of the void diameter are compared with the predictions of a simple phenomenological theory, based on a balance of forces on dust grains.     

斜磁场作用下的射频等离子体平板鞘层结构

建立一个一维坐标空间、三维速度空间的斜磁场作用下的射频等离子体平板鞘层模型，讨论了磁场对射频鞘层结构及其参数特性的影响.研究结果表明：磁场对鞘层结构有不可忽略的影响，特别是能够使鞘层边界附近的离子速度分布和密度分布产生明显的变化.此外，虽然磁场不能改变离子总的能量密度分布，却能改变离子的运动状态，并同时影响着基板上离子在各个方向上的能量分布和入射偏移角度. 关键词： 射频 鞘层 磁场     

Breakdown mechanism of an atmospheric-pressure radio-frequency capacitive argon discharge in parallel-plate bare metal electrodes

The breakdown behavior of an atmospheric-pressure radio-frequency capacitively coupled argon plasma discharge at 13.56 MHz is investigated in order to produce a stable and homogeneous atmospheric-pressure argon glow discharge. It is found that the electrode separation distance plays a pivotal role in exciting argon discharge whether in mobility-controlled electric breakdown or in diffusion-controlled breakdown and the discharge mode (arc discharge, α-mode glow discharge, or γ-mode glow discharge) immediately following breakdown is closely related to the breakdown mechanism.     

外加磁场对碰撞射频鞘层离子能量分布的影响

采用双流体模型,数值研究入射到射频鞘层偏压电极上的离子能量分布.研究结果表明：磁场在改变离子运动状态的同时,调控着基板上的离子能量分布,使之在垂直基板方向和平行基板方向间转移. 关键词： 等离子体 射频 鞘层 磁场     

Anomalous electric-field effect and glassy behaviour in granular aluminium thin films: electron glass?

We present a study of non-equilibrium phenomena observed in the electrical conductance of insulating granular aluminium thin films. An anomalous field effect and its slow relaxation are studied in some detail. The phenomenology is very similar to the one already observed in indium oxide. The origin of the phenomena is discussed. In granular systems, the present experiments can naturally be interpreted along two different lines. One relies on a slow polarisation in the dielectric surrounding the metallic islands. The other one relies on a purely electronic mechanism: the formation of an electron Coulomb glass in the granular metal. More selective experiments and/or quantitative predictions about the Coulomb glass properties are still needed to definitely distinguish between the two scenarios.     

Anomalous penetration of an electromagnetic field into a nonisothermal plasma with two species of ions

It is shown that a change in the ion composition of a nonisothermal plasma is accompanied by nontrivial changes in the effective penetration depth of a strong quasi-stationary electromagnetic field generating ion-acoustic instability.     

New parameter correlations for deep penetration welding with high energy focused beams

As a result of the unification of two models previously described by the author, a three-dimensional treatment of the workpiece temperature distribution, which takes into consideration the solid to liquid phase change of the processed material, is presented for deep penetration welding (d.p.w.) with high energy focused beans.The new model improves the accuracy of weld geometry prediction by better correlating the shape, width and depth of the cross-section of the resolidified weld with beam characteristics, material thermophysical properties, workpiece velocity and preheating temperature.     

Workpiece temperature distribution for deep penetration welding with high energy focused beams

A solution for the two-dimensional temperature field in a workpiece at welding by laser or electron beams, which takes into consideration the solid-to-liquid phase change of the material, is presented. This leads to more precise process parameter correlations.     

The preheating temperature parameter for deep penetration welding with high energy focused beams

The effects of workpiece preheating at steady state deep penetration welding with high energy focused beams upon weld cross-section width and depth are investigated theoretically.Parameter correlations, with special attention focused on the preheating of the workpiece are presented as analytic expressions and visualized in a nomograph. Preheating leads to weld width and depth increase. The theoretical correlations are in qualitative agreement with experimental results reported in the literature.