Comments on "On asymptotic matching and the sheath Edge"

In Sternberg and Godyak (2003), the authors claim that the sheath edge obtained through asymptotic matching is the edge of the electron free ion sheath characterized by Godyak's "strong" electric field |E|=kT/sub e//(e/spl lambda//sub D/). I present a careful re-analysis of the same problem and show that the paper is incorrect. The "intermediate region" of asymptotic analysis has an extremely narrow validity range in potential space and does not contain the ion-electron sheath. Consequently, in asymptotic theory, the sheath edge is uniquely defined by the transition from the quasi-neutral plasma to the ion-electron sheath. It may equivalently be characterized by the Bohm criterion or by a "medium" electric field |E|/spl sim/kT/sub e//(eL/sup 3/5//spl lambda//sub D//sup 2/5/) mediating between strong sheath fields |E|/spl sim/kT/sub e//(e/spl lambda//sub D/) and weak plasma fields |E|/spl sim/kT/sub e//(eL).     

Reply to comments on "On asymptotic matching and the sheath Edge"

In our recent paper [Sternberg and Godyak (2004)], we have solved the plasma-sheath problem using asymptotic matching techniques. We have shown that the position of the sheath edge obtained by asymptotic matching yields the position of the ion sheath edge determined by Godyak's condition (E=kT/sub e//(e/spl lambda//sub D1/)) [Godyak (1982)]. In addition, we were able to show how the sheath width depends on the voltage applied to the wall. Our results are theoretical, grounded in mathematics. We used numerical computations mainly to illustrate our point. We have written our paper with great care, so that any scientist, even one not familiar with the intricacies of asymptotic matching, could understand our exposition and be convinced in the correctness of our results. Kaganovich (2004) reproduced our theoretical results numerically up to /spl epsi/=10/sup -11/. Franklin (2004) published a review adapting our results and interpretations. However, we were not able to convince Riemann, although he reproduced some of our results numerically [Riemann (2004)]. This paper is a response to Riemann's comments [Riemann (2004)].     

Second-harmonic generation of a Gaussian laser beam in a self created magnetized plasma channel

The second-harmonic generation of an intense self-guided right circularly polarized laser beam in a magnetized plasma is investigated. The laser imparts oscillatory velocity to electrons and exerts a radial ponderomotive force on them to create a depleted density channel. The critical power for self-focusing shows huge reduction as electron cyclotron frequency approaches the laser frequency (/spl omega//sub c/ /spl rarr/ /spl omega/). In the presence of the self-created radial density gradient, the laser drives a density perturbation at the fundamental frequency. The density perturbation beats with the oscillatory velocity to produce a second harmonic current density, driving second harmonic radiation copropagating with the laser. The second harmonic, however, is azimuthally asymmetric with /spl theta/-variation as exp(i/spl theta/). Its amplitude shows resonant enhancement as /spl omega//sub c/ /spl rarr/ /spl omega/.     

First experimental measurements of the plasma potential throughout the presheath and sheath at a boundary in a weakly collisional plasma

Experimental data obtained with emissive probes and Langmuir probes show that the plasma potential profile in the presheath scales as -ephi /T(e)= sqrt[(x(0) -x)/lambda ], consistent with ion flux conservation, and that the sheath consists of a transition region and an electron-free collisionless sheath with thicknesses scaling as lambda( 1/5)lambda (4/5 )(D) and lambda(D )(ephi/ T(e))(3 /4), respectively, where lambda is the ion-neutral collision length. Results support Rieman's presheath and transitional region model [Phys. Plasmas 4, 4158 (1997)]]. The potential drop over the presheath and transition sheath region were the order of T(e) /e and 2T(e )/3e, respectively, increasing with increasing pressure.     

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利用发射探针诊断了处于扩散等离子体流场中平板两侧的鞘层电势分布并给出鞘层厚度及边界电场。结合Child-Langmuir(CL)定律并利用一维流体模型,分析对比了鞘厚及边界电场。结果显示,上下游的鞘层呈现不对称结构,下游比上游厚,边界电场下游比上游弱,并且下游的预鞘还呈现类似虚阳极的结构。上下游CL鞘的厚度满足线性比例关系,比例系数约为1.2,且实验值与理论值非常接近。上下游CL鞘的边界电场与模型Te/(eλD)比较接近,上游Bohm鞘边界电场的实验结果与过渡区模型 较符合,但下游Bohm鞘的边界电场与现有模型有较大差异。     

Industrial-scale experiments of desulfuration of coal flue gas using a pulsed corona discharge plasma

The flow rate of flue gas in the industrial experiments was 3000 Nm/sup 3//h. The flue gas from the boiler burning coal was used. The influences of operating parameters on the efficiency of desulfuration (DeSO/sub 2/) were studied, which include the retention period of flue gas in the reactor, the initial concentration of SO/sub 2/ in flue gas, a mole ratio of NH/sub 3/ to SO/sub 2/ in the gas, the temperature of the gas, as well as the power consumption of pulsed corona discharges. The experimental results shown that the efficiency of DeSO/sub 2/ was above 80%, when the initial concentration of SO/sub 2/ was 1000 /spl sim/ 2000 ppm, the gas temperature was 60 /spl deg/C /spl sim/ 75 /spl deg/C, the retention period was more than 5.8 s, a mole ratio of NH/sub 3/ to SO/sub 2/ was 2 : 1, the water content in flue gas was above 6%, and he consumption was 2.5 /spl sim/ 3.5 Wh/Nm/sup 3/.     

Soft X-ray optimization studies on a dense plasma focus device operated in neon and argon in repetitive mode

This paper investigates the emission characteristics of a high-performance low-energy (3-kJ) repetitive dense plasma focus device, NX2, operated at up to 1-Hz repetition rate to develop it as an intense source of soft X-rays (SXR) for microlithography and micromachining. Various SXR yield optimization studies with argon and neon as filling gases were performed under different operating conditions (charging voltage, filling pressure, anode length, and insulator sleeve length). The SXR yield was computed using signals obtained from a PIN diode SXR spectrometer with appropriate filters. When operated in neon, the average optimum SXR (/spl lambda//spl sim/1 nm) yield in 4/spl pi/ steradians was found to be up to 140 J/shot, which corresponded to a wall plug efficiency of 5.6%. Operation in argon showed that optimized SXR (/spl lambda//spl sim/0.4 nm) yield was up to 1.3 J/shot. While operating with neon under optimized conditions with a water-cooled anode in repetitive mode, the NX2 device was used as a SXR source to imprint a test lithograph on a highly sensitive chemically-amplified resist SU-8. Test structures showing the effect of a stepper with aspect ratio 3:1 on 10-/spl mu/m-thick SU-8 resist film were obtained.     

A simplified model joining the sheath and the plasma in electronegative plasmas

An extension of the previous work which only dealt with the sheath zone is used to analyze the wall-plasma interaction in electronegative plasmas. Ionization is introduced as the presheath mechanism. This extension includes the joining of the sheath and the plasma solutions. For certain plasma parameters a stratified presheath is obtained. In this case, the plasma and the sheath solutions are matched in a very simplified way, by introducing a discontinuity in the electric field. This discontinuity is equivalent to consideration of a negatively charged layer between the presheath and the sheath. The parameter space region in which this matching should be made has been delimited. The model includes the previous one in the limiting case of no ionization.     

Scope of plasma focus with argon as a soft X-ray source

The X-radiation emission from a low energy plasma focus with argon as a filling gas is investigated. Specifically, the attention is paid to determine the system efficiency for argon K-lines and Cu-K/sub /spl alpha// line emission at different filling pressures, and identify the radiation emission region. The highest argon line emission found at 1.5 mbar is about 30 mJ and the corresponding efficiency is 0.0015%. The same pressure is suitable for high Cu-K/sub /spl alpha// emission, which is about 70 mJ in 4/spl pi/ geometry and the system efficiency is 0.003%. The bulk of X-radiation is emitted from the region close to the anode tip, whereas some radiation emission takes place from the formed hot spots along the focus axis. These radiations are found suitable for backlighting in Al (1-1.56 keV) and Ti (2.9-4.96 keV) energy transmission bands.     

Modeling refraction characteristics of silicon nitride film deposited in a SiH/sub 4/-NH/sub 3/-N/sub 2/ plasma using neural network

Silicon nitride has been deposited using plasma-enhanced chemical deposition (PECVD) equipment. The PECVD process was characterized by conducting a 2/sup 6-1/ fractional factorial experiment on six experimental factors, including substrate temperature, pressure, radio frequency (RF) power, ammonia NH/sub 3/, silane SiH/sub 4/, and nitrogen N/sub 2/ flow rates. Refractive characteristics of the deposited film were examined by modeling the refractive index as a function of experimental factors. A helium-neon laser with a wavelength 6328 /spl Aring/ was used to measure the refractive index. To evaluate the appropriateness of the model, the network trained with 32 experiments was then tested with 12 experiments not pertaining to the training data. Several learning factors involved in training neural networks were optimized and an accurate prediction model with the root mean-squared error of 0.018 was achieved. Compared to statistical regression model, the neural network model demonstrated an improvement of more than 65%. Using various three-dimensional plots, underlying deposition mechanisms were qualitatively estimated. For the limited experimental ranges, the index increased with increasing SiH/sub 4/ flow rate. With an increase in either NH/sub 3/ or N/sub 2/, meanwhile, the index decreased consistently. The index also increased with increasing substrate temperature or pressure. The effects of the temperature were very complex as it interacted with other factors.     

Electron temperature and plasma density in surface-discharged alternating-current plasma display panels

The electron temperature and plasma density at the lateral distance of 125 /spl mu/m from the center of sustaining electrode gap have been investigated by a Langmuir probe along with the high-speed discharge image in coplanar alternating current plasma display panels. The plasma density at the lateral distance of 125 /spl mu/m from the center of sustaining electrode gap is shown to be maximum value of 3.7/spl times/10/sup 11/ cm/sup -3/, whereas the electron temperature is measured to be decreased from 1.8 to 0.8 eV as the gas pressure increases from 150 to 400 torr in this experiment. It is noted that the electron temperatures measured by the Langmuir probe and high-speed image camera are in good agreement with each other within 5% error limit.     

Analysis on plasma chemistry and particle growth in corona discharge process for NO/sub x/ removal using discrete-sectional method

The particle formation and growth combined with plasma chemistry in the pulsed corona discharge process (PCDP) to remove NO/sub x/ were analyzed by the discrete-sectional model. In the PCDP, most of the NO is converted into NO/sub 2/ and, later, into HNO/sub 3/ which reacts with NH/sub 3/ to form the NH/sub 4/NO/sub 3/ particle. In the beginning of the reactor, we have the high concentration of small size particles and, later, the particle size distribution in the reactor becomes bimodal with the large size and small size particles and, finally, becomes monodisperse with the large size particles. As the average electron concentration increases, it takes a shorter reactor length to remove the NO/sub x/. As the initial NO and H/sub 2/O concentrations decrease, the NH/sub 3/ is consumed more slowly to form the ammonium nitrates particles. As the averaged electron concentration and initial H/sub 2/O concentration increase, the large size particles grow more quickly and the particle size distribution becomes bimodal earlier. As the initial NO and NH/sub 3/ concentrations increase, the diameter of large size particles becomes larger by the faster coagulation between particles. The predicted NO/sub x/ conversion and particle size distribution were in close agreements with the published experimental results at the averaged electron concentration of 2/spl times/10/sup 5/ cm/sup -3/ in this study.     

Theory of the cathode sheath in a vacuum arc

A previous theory of the plasma sheath transition starting from the charge exchange model for ion collisions is extended to account for ionization and recombination. It is applied to the quasi-neutral boundary layer (presheath) in front of the cathode sheath of a vacuum arc. An essential potential and density difference between the sheath edge and cathodic plasma ball is found. This difference is accounted for in a unified theory of the arc cathode based on G. Ecker's (1971) existence diagram method, which indicates possible areas of arc operation in the T_cj plane, where T_c is the spot temperature and j is the current density. A numerical evaluation for Cu gives the results which are qualitatively similar to Ecker's theory. The existence areas are quantitatively enlarged and shifted to lower current densities     

A novel overmoded slow-wave high-power microwave (HPM) Generator

We present the design and experimental results of a novel overmoded slow-wave high-power microwave (HPM) generator that is featured by its compactness, low-operation magnetic field, and potentially high power and high efficiency. The device includes two slow-wave structure (SWS) sections, a resonant cavity, and a tapered waveguide. The resonant cavity was well designed and was used to achieve the axial mode selection and to decrease the length of the SWS sections. The radial mode selection is achieved using the property of "surface wave" of the device to excite the TM/sub 01/ mode while making the higher TM/sub 0n/ modes unexcited. The physical mechanisms of axial and radial mode selections ensure that the microwave is produced with a single mode and a narrow band. The feasibility of low magnetic field operation is also investigated based on the characteristics of the overmoded slow-wave devices. Experiments were carried out at the Spark-2 accelerator. At diode voltage of 474 kV, beam current of 5.2 kA, and guiding magnetic field strength of 0.6 T, a microwave was generated with power of 510 MW, mode of TM/sub 01/, and frequency of 9.54 GHz. The relative half width of the frequency spectrum is /spl Delta/f/f= 0.6%, and the beam-to-microwave efficiency is about 21% in our experiment.     

Plasma and heat flux characteristics of a supersonic ammonia or nitrogen/hydrogen-mixture direct-current plasma jet impinging on a flat plate

Spectroscopic and electrostatic probe measurements were made to examine plasma characteristics with or without a titanium plate under nitriding for a 10-kW-class direct-current arc plasma jet generator with a supersonic expansion nozzle in a low-pressure environment. Heat fluxes into the plate from the plasma were also evaluated with a Nickel slug and thermocouple arrangement. Ammonia and mixtures of nitrogen and hydrogen were used as a working gas. The NH/sub 3/ and N/sub 2/+3H/sub 2/ plasmas in the nozzle and in the downstream plume without a substrate plate were in thermodynamical nonequilibrium states. As a result, the H-atom electronic excitation temperature and the N/sub 2/ molecule-rotational excitation temperature intensively decreased downstream in the nozzle although the NH molecule-rotational excitation temperature did not show an axial decrease. Each temperature was kept in a small range in the plume without a substrate plate except for the NH rotational temperature for NH/sub 3/ working gas. On the other hand, as approaching the titanium plate, the thermodynamical nonequilibrium plasma came to be a temperature-equilibrium one because the plasma flow tended to stagnate in front of the plate. The electron temperature had a small radial variation near the plate. Both the electron number density and the heat flux decreased radially outward, and an increase in H/sub 2/ mole fraction raised them at a constant radial position. In cases with NH/sub 3/ and N/sub 2/+3H/sub 2/, a radical of NH with a radially wide distribution was considered to contribute to the better nitriding as a chemically active and non heating process.     

Compensating for a bite block in /s/ and /t/ production: palatographic, acoustic, and perceptual data

Electropalatography was used to monitor linguapalatal contact patterns in /s/ and /t/. Talkers often compensated incompletely for a bite block, both immediately after its insertion (sample B1) and after 10 min of practice (sample B2). Significant differences in the number of sensors contacted were noted between normal and bite-block samples for both /s/ and /t/. Differences in length of constriction in /t/, and the A-P location and width of the groove in /s/ were also noted. The two native English subjects compensated better than three Arabic subjects, perhaps because English /s/ and /t/ are formed more posteriorily and with a smaller contact area than their Arabic counterparts. A significant correlation existed between the area and A-P location of linguapalatal contact. All five subjects formed a groove for /s/ in sample B2, but two often did not produce /t/ with complete constriction. This suggests a groove is critical for /s/, but complete constriction is not critical for /t/. The contact patterns in sample B2 more closely resembled normal speech than those in sample B1 in some instances, while in other instances the reverse was true. The conclusion that subjects sometimes overcompensated in sample B2 was supported by the results of detailed acoustic and perceptual analyses for one subject. Taken together, the results suggest that compensation for a bite block is not instantaneous, and that specific parameter values may be encoded in central phonetic representations.     

Levitation and dynamics of a collection of dust particles in afully ionized plasma sheath

Examines the dynamics of a collection of charged dust particles in the plasma sheath above a large body in a fully ionized space plasma when the radius of the large body is much larger than the sheath thickness. The dust particles are charged by the plasma, and the forces on the dust particles are assumed to be from the electric field in the sheath and from gravitation only. These forces will often act in opposite directions and may balance, making dust suspension and collection possible. The dust particles are supplied by injection or by electrostatic levitation. The ability of the sheath to collect dust particles, will be optimal for a certain combination of gravitation and plasma and dust particle parameters. In a dense dust sheath, the charges on the dust particles contribute significantly to the total space charge, and collective effects become important. These effects will reduce the magnitude of the sheath electric field strength and the charge on the dust particles. As dust particles are collected, the dust sheath is stretched and the largest dust particles may drop out, because the sheath is no longer able to suspend them. In a tenuous dust sheath, the inner layer, from the surface and about one Debye length thick, will be unstable for dust particle motion, and dust will not collect there. In a dense dust sheath, collective effects will decrease the thickness of this inner dust-free layer, making dust collection closer to the surface possible. By linearization of the force and current equations, the necessary and sufficient conditions for a stable dust sheath are found. The authors consider conditions which resemble those of planetary system bodies, but the results may also be of relevance to some laboratory plasmas     

The interrelation between acoustic context effects and available response categories in speech sound categorization

In an investigation of contextual influences on sound categorization, 64 Peruvian Spanish listeners categorized vowels on an /i/ to /e/ continuum. First, to measure the influence of the stimulus range (broad acoustic context) and the preceding stimuli (local acoustic context), listeners were presented with different subsets of the Spanish /i/-/e/ continuum in separate blocks. Second, the influence of the number of response categories was measured by presenting half of the participants with /i/ and /e/ as responses, and the other half with /i/, /e/, /a/, /o/, and /u/. The results showed that the perceptual category boundary between /i/ and /e/ shifted depending on the stimulus range and that the formant values of locally preceding items had a contrastive influence. Categorization was less susceptible to broad and local acoustic context effects, however, when listeners were presented with five rather than two response options. Vowel categorization depends not only on the acoustic properties of the target stimulus, but also on its broad and local acoustic context. The influence of such context is in turn affected by the number of internal referents that are available to the listener in a task.     

Adult-child differences in acoustic cue weighting are influenced by segmental context: children are not always perceptually biased toward transitions

It has been proposed that young children may have a perceptual preference for transitional cues [Nittrouer, S. (2002). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 112, 711-719]. According to this proposal, this preference can manifest itself either as heavier weighting of transitional cues by children than by adults, or as heavier weighting of transitional cues than of other, more static, cues by children. This study tested this hypothesis by examining adults' and children's cue weighting for the contrasts /saI/-/integral of aI/, /de/-/be/, /ta/-/da/, and /ti/-/di/. Children were found to weight transitions more heavily than did adults for the fricative contrast /saI/-/integral aI/, and were found to weight transitional cues more heavily than nontransitional cues for the voice-onset-time contrast /ta/-/da/. However, these two patterns of cue weighting were not found to hold for the contrasts /de/-/be/ and /ti/-/di/. Consistent with several studies in the literature, results suggest that children do not always show a bias towards vowel-formant transitions, but that cue weighting can differ according to segmental context, and possibly the physical distinctiveness of available acoustic cues.     

Experimental studies of plasma sheath near meshes of different transmissivity

<正>The measurements of the potential distributions in the boundary layer near meshes with different mesh spacing were conducted in weakly collisional plasmas using a fine-structured emissive probe and the results of the sheath thickness and electric field at the sheath-presheath edge were compared with theoretical models of collisional presheath and collisionless sheath.It was shown that,because the meshes are partially transparent to ions,the sheath is thinner and the electric field is stronger for the mesh of higher transmissivity,owing to the increased ion density in the sheath contributed from the ions transmitted from the other side of the mesh.However,the potential profiles in the presheath remain almost the same for different meshes except for the shift of the sheath-presheath edge.The thickness of the sheath decreases while the electric field at the edge increases with the increase of the neutral gas pressure.Furthermore, depending on the pressure,the measured electric fields at the edge are close to that from the models of a transition region.