Sheath characteristics in multi-component plasma with negative ions

Properties of steady state ion sheath formed in front of a negatively biased metal plate under the influence of negative ions have been investigated in collisionless argon/SF₆ plasma. This experiment is carried out at a fixed discharge voltage and fixed filament heating power. In this experiment, the decrement in plasma pre-sheath potential drop as well as positive ion drift velocity toward the plate is experimentally recorded in the presence of negative ions. It is also found that the plasma positive ion density and plasma electron temperature decrease in the presence of negative ions. These factors attribute to the decrease of ion current toward the plate. Hence the usual ion sheath expands. Article presented at the International Conference on the Frontiers of Plasma Physics and Technology, 9–14 December 2002, Bangalore, India.     

Quasi-delta negative ions density of Ar/O_2 inductively coupled plasma at very low electronegativity

One of the novel phenomena of Ar/O_2 inductively coupled plasma, the delta negative ions density profile is discovered by the fluid simulation at very low electronegativity. The anions delta is found to be formed by the collaboration of successive plasma transport phases. The plasma transport itself is affected by the delta, exhibiting many new phenomena.A new type of Helmholtz equation is devised to mathematically explain the delta forming mechanism. For revealing the physics behind, a revised spring oscillator dynamic equation has been constructed according to the Helmholtz equation, in a relevant paper [Zhao S X and Li J Z(2021) Chin. Phys. B 30 055202]. The investigation about the anions delta distribution is a nice prediction of new phenomenon in low temperature electronegative plasmas, waiting for the validation of related experiments.     

Discharge characteristics in plasma display cell at high frequency

We present the experimental and simulation studies of the glow discharge plasma in a macroscopic AC plasma display panel cell operating at a high frequency. We find that at high frequencies the plasma from the previous pulse has a significant influence on the discharge properties. The xenon excitation efficiency is larger than that at low frequencies.The discharge mode and efficiency at high frequencies have been discussed in this paper.     

Start-phase ionization dynamics in the laser plasma at low gas target densities

In Xe laser-produced-plasma sources of short-wave radiation, the laser-energy-to-EUV conversion efficiency (CE) proves substantially less than theoretical expectations. In the present work, a calculated estimate has been made which indicates that a long period of the primary ionization, lasting up to a moment when high-Z ions appear to emit short-wave photons, can be one of main causes for this. During that period the plasma remains low-ionized and absorbs weakly the laser energy. The estimate above has been experimentally confirmed with spectroscopic data and those on the effective ion charge derived from measured absorption of the laser radiation in the plasma. A preionization of the gas target with an ultraviolet (UV) excimer laser pulse is proposed as a method to accelerate the ionization process and consequently, to enhance CE.     

A negative differential conductivity due to recombination and impact ionization in semiconductors at low temperatures

The probability of impact ionization and the recombination time are known to increase monotonically with the electric fieldE. I show that at low temperatures both functions achieve a maximum and decrease in the electric field range where the emission of optical phonons with subsequent impurity scattering dominate. This nonmonotonicity results in three different types of N-shaped negative differential conductivity (n-ndc). The carrier concentration and the current decrease whenE increases due to decreasing of the impact ionization probability for weakly compensated samples and of the recombination time for highly compensated samples. At the antithreshold electric-field impact ionization dies out, which results in a dramatic decrease of the current for intermediately compensated samples. This huge n-ndc could be used in a novel type of the Gunn diode. The essential increase of threshold electric field of impact ionization is also predicted, and the effect could enhance the efficiency of photodetectors.The research was supported by the Alexandervon-Humboldt-Foundation     

Vibrations of a timoshenko beam clamped at one end and carrying a finite mass at the other

The present paper deals with an exact solution of the title problem. Modal shapes and natural frequency coefficients are determined for a significant range of the mechanical and geometric parameters that come into play. When the parameter I/AL² (where I is cross-sectional moment of inertia, A is cross-sectional area, and L beam length) approaches zero, the beam dynamic characteristics agree with values already available in the open literature.     

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a plasma with negative ions

A dispersion relation for low-frequency electrostatic modes in a plasma with negative ions is derived for the case in which a velocity shear Kelvin-Helmholtz instability exists in the positive ion flow along the magnetic field. It is found that the negative ions have, generally, a destabilizing effect, as seen previously for ion-acoustic and electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves. The influence of the negative-ion-to-positive-ion mass mass ratio on the stability is also examined     

Solitons in a relativistic plasma with negative ions

The interaction of the nonlinearity and the dispersiveness causing the solitary waves is studied in a relativistic plasma with negative ions through the derivation of a nonlinear partial-differential equation known as the Korteweg-de Vries equation. The negative ions play a salient part in the existence and behavior of the solitons and could be of interest in laboratory plasmas. First, the observations are made in a nonisothermal plasma, and later the reduction to the nonisothermality of the plasma shows entirely different characteristics as compared to the solitons in the isothermal plasmas. Comparison with the various solitons is emphasized     

Sheath structure in plasma with two species of positive ions and secondary electrons

The properties of a collisionless plasma sheath are investigated by using a fluid model in which two species of positive ions and secondary electrons are taken into account. It is shown that the positive ion speeds at the sheath edge increase with secondary electron emission(SEE) coefficient, and the sheath structure is affected by the interplay between the two species of positive ions and secondary electrons. The critical SEE coefficients and the sheath widths depend strongly on the positive ion charge number, mass and concentration in the cases with and without SEE. In addition, ion kinetic energy flux to the wall and the impact of positive ion species on secondary electron density at the sheath edge are also discussed.     

表面镀金SU-8微柱的低频电动旋转特征

依据传统Maxwell-Wagner界面极化理论, 金属微纳米粒子由于具有极高电导率, 在旋转电场作用下无明显电旋转运动. 然而, 本文针对镀金SU-8微柱开展实验研究, 发现镀金微柱在低频条件下的快速旋转运动现象. 据此, 通过考虑镀金微柱表面双电层效应, 理论分析并实验验证镀金微柱的低频电旋转特征. 首先, 建立电场中微柱的近似椭球模型, 分析固-液接触面双电层作用下的金属粒子极化机理, 推导旋转电场作用下镀金微柱的转矩公式及电旋转角速度公式. 其次, 搭建实验平台, 分别对镀金微柱在三种不同电导率溶液、100 Hz–30 MHz频率范围内的电旋转特征进行对比实验研究. 最后, 对实验结果进行分析和讨论, 并通过考虑镀金微柱与基底之间摩擦作用等因素, 验证实验研究与理论研究的一致性. 关键词： 表面镀金微柱 电旋转 双电层 微流控     

Ion-acoustic wave in relativistic nonisothermal plasma with negative ions

We study solitary wave formation in a nonisothermal plasma with negative ions. When the ions are considered to be relativistic. The variations of the amplitude, width, and the phase velocity are obtained explicitly with respect to the ratio of the ion densities and the streaming velocity.     

超声微泡低频动力学特性及其生物效应

理论上利用有耗散函数的Lagrange方程,建立了有壳微泡的R(t)运动方程,开展了自由空间中有壳微泡动力学特性的研究,表明微泡内外半径增量随声压的增大、超声频率的降低、初始内径的增大及壳厚的减薄而迅速增大。实验上,利用Mie散射技术在80°散射角和前向Mie散射检测新技术实验测量了微泡R(t)曲线;利用体视显微镜,实时观察了超声微泡对动物活体微血管损伤,开展了超声微泡生物效应的动物和细胞试验研究。结果表明:(1)超声作用下,微泡引起肿瘤中微血管壁周期性膨胀收缩而发生管壁破裂,形成血栓和微血管栓塞,抑制了肿瘤生长;(2)超声联合微泡可以破坏微血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)和肝癌细胞,可以减少肿瘤血管和癌细胞再生,因此,低频超声联合微泡技术是一种值得探索抑制肿瘤生长的新技术。     

The role of negative ions in experiments with complex plasma

The influence of negative ions on the state of an rf gas-discharge dusty (complex) plasma containing electronegative gaseous impurities was investigated. A simple one-dimensional argon-discharge model allowing for the impurity-induced plasmachemical reactions was taken as an example to show that the addition of even a minor amount of molecular oxygen changes appreciably the plasma composition and plasma transport properties, as well as the microparticle charges. In turn, these changes have a strong effect on the microparticle force balance and on the formation of various dusty structures in the discharge.     

Detection of positive and negative ions in a wire ionization counter filled with atmospheric air

The physical processes occurring during the detection of individual ions in a wire counter filled with atmospheric air are studied, and the amplitude distribution of electric pulses is measured. It is shown that a positive ion is detected due to electron emission from the surface of a negatively charged wire, whereas a negative ion is detected due to electron detachment near a positively charged wire. The secondary processes accompanying the neutralization of positive ions at a negatively charged external electrode and negatively charged wire are considered. It is established that, in contrast to standard proportional counters, these secondary processes result in an increase in the number of electric pulses rather than in an increase in the electric pulse amplitude. The wire counter allows the detection of both ions produced inside the detector and ions injected into the detector from the ambient air. Possible applications of air-filled wire detectors are described.     

High-performance and damage-free neutral-beam etching processes using negative ions in pulse-time-modulated plasma

For the past 30 years, plasma-etching technology has led efforts to shrink the patterns of ultralarge-scale integrated (ULSI) devices. However, inherent problems with plasma processes, such as charge build-up and UV photon radiation, have limited etching in the future devices. To overcome these and fabricate sub-50 nm devices in practice, neutral-beam etchings have been proposed. In this paper, we introduce damage-free etching processes using neutral beam with negative ions in pulse-time-modulated plasmas. These techniques can achieve damage-free etching processes. They are promising candidates for the practical technology that will be required to fabricate future devices.     

Investigation of transfer ionization in collisions of partially stripped carbon ions with helium at low to intermediate velocities

The ratios of transfer ionization (TI) to single-electron capture (SC) cross sections have been measured for the collisions of partially stripped C^q+ ions (q=1--4) with He. The collision velocity ranges from 0.7 to 4.4v₀ (v₀ is the Bohr velocity). The projectile-ion and recoil-ion coincidence technique is used to separate the processes of TI and SC. The ratios reach the maximum when the velocity is about 3.7v₀ This can be explained qualitatively based on the two-step mechanism. The experimental results are also compared with the results calculated using the classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) method. The CTMC results are in agreement with the experimental data basically. The discrepancies in higher velocity region are interpreted by the effective charge effect.     

A field theoretic approach to the formation of positronium negative ions in positronium-hydrogen collisions at low energy

The total cross-section, for positronium negative ions formation in positronium-hydrogen collision is calculated in a field-theoretic way for low energy positronium. In this non-relativistic region, cross-section shows a distinct structure unlike Born cross-section, as calculated byStancanelli andFerrante (Nuovo Cimento68B (1970), 137). At higher energies beyond 80 eV the field-theoretic cross-section decreases at a faster rate compared to the cross-section by the latter authors.     

Sheath and plasma parameters in a magnetized plasma system

The variation of electron temperature and plasma density in a magnetized N₂ plasma is studied experimentally in presence of a grid placed at the middle of the system. Plasma leaks through the negatively biased grid from the source region into the diffused region. It is observed that the electron temperature increases with the magnetic field in the diffused region whereas it decreases in the source region of the system for a constant grid biasing voltage. Also, investigation is done to see the change of electron temperature with grid biasing voltage for a constant magnetic field. This is accompanied by the study of the variation of sheath structure across the grid for different magnetic field and grid biasing voltage as well. It reveals that with increasing magnetic field and negative grid biasing voltage, the sheath thickness expands.