Real time feedback control of plasma density using a floating probe in semiconductor processing

Real time feedback control of plasma density was developed and carried out in an inductively coupled plasma. This control method uses a floating probe as a sensor because it can measure plasma density in real time without modification of the plasma reactors and it does not perturb the plasma. The results show that through feedback control, plasma density can be maintained constant within a steady state error of less than 0.3% even if there is a sudden pressure disturbance. This feedback control method is expected to improve the repeatability and reliability of plasma reactors.     

PHOTON ACCELERATION DRIVEN BY AN INTENSE LASER PULSE

Interaction of a laser field with a plasma wave is studied by metric optics. Analysis shows that the frequency upshifting of the laser pulse results from the plasma density gradient. A laser beam can be thought of as a packet of photons moving in a plasma and thus the laser frequency upshifting is equivalent to photon acceleration. Examination of the three-dimensional motion equations shows that a laser beam diffraction occurs in the presence of a radial variation of the plasma density. It is argued that the focusing mechanism originating from the plasma wave can curb laser diffraction so that photons may be trapped in the plasma wave and accelerated continuously.     

On some properties of linear and nonlinear waves in pair-ion plasmas

It is pointed out that the observation of the electrostatic ion acoustic wave frequency can be a suitable check to determine whether the produced plasma is a pure pair-ion plasma or whether it comprises some concentration of electrons. A theoretical model for the pair-ion plasma dynamics is presented along with a new electrostatic mode which can exist only in such systems. It can become unstable in the presence of shear flow and it can give rise to vortex structures in the nonlinear regime. The possibility of shocks and solitons, due to nonlinear drift waves in a pair-ion plasma comprising electrons, is also discussed. The relevance of this investigation to both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas is pointed out.     

Interaction of supersonic molecular beam with low-temperature plasma

The interaction between the supersonic molecular beam(SMB) and the low-temperature plasma is a critical issue for the diagnosis and fueling in the Tokamak device. In this work, the interaction process between the argon SMB and the argon plasma is studied by a high-speed camera based on the Linear Experimental Advanced Device(LEAD) in Southwestern Institute of Physics, China. It is found that the high-density SMB can extinct the plasma temporarily and change the distribution of the plasma density significantly, while the low-density SMB can hardly affect the distribution of plasma density. This can be used as an effective diagnostic technique to study the evolution of plasma density in the interaction between the SMB and plasma. Moreover, the related simulation based on this experiment is carried out to better understand the evolution of electron density and ion density in the interaction. The simulation results can be used to analyze and explain the experimental results well.     

Disruption mitigation using laser ablation of high-Z impurities in HL-1M tokamak

A preliminary experiment triggering a plasma current quench by laser ablation of high-Z impurities has been performed in the HL-1M tokamak. The injection of impurities with higher electric charges into tokamak plasmas can increase the radiation cooling of the plasma. Resistive, highly radiating plasma formed prior to the thermal quench can dissipate both the thermal and magnetic energies, which is possibly a simple and potential approach to reducing significantly the plasma thermal energy and magnetic energy before a disruption thereby a safe plasma termination is obtained.     

Enhanced Beat Wave Saturation Amplitude in an Ionizing Plasma

The excitation of a plasma wave by two laser beams, whose frequency difference is near the plasma frequency, is studied in a plasma with a density that is slowly increasing with time due to ongoing ionization as appropriate for experiments done in laser breakdown plasmas. Numerical integration of the relativistic equation for the evolution of the wave amplitude reveals that for a rate of increase of the plasma density of approximately 1017 cm-3/ns at a laser intensity I = 1014 W/cm2, the wave amplitude can rise considerably above the relativistic saturation limit of Rosenbluth and Liu which was obtained for a plasma of constant density. This increase in plasma density compensates the reduction in plasma frequency caused by the relativistic electron mass increase when the wave amplitude is large. The frequency and phase excursions of the plasma wave are reduced for an optimum time increasing density. We find that moderate damping can stabilize both the amplitude and the phase of the plasma wave with respect to the pump.     

含单缺陷层的一维可调谐磁化等离子体光子晶体滤波特性研究

采用在等温近似的条件下,以等离子体的上升时间、温度和密度为可调谐参量,用磁化等离子体的分段线形电流密度卷积时域有限差分算法研究了含单一缺陷层的一维磁化等离子体光子晶体的滤波特性.以高斯脉冲为激励源,用算法公式得到的电磁波透射系数来讨论了等离子体上升时间、温度、等离子体层密度对其滤波特性的影响.结果表明,改变等离子体上升时间和等离子体层密度可以实现对滤波通道的调整.谐振频率不能通过改变温度进行调整.     

Computer model for bounded plasma

A computer model is developed for simulating a bounded plasma slab. The two dimensional electrostatic model is periodic in one dimension and bounded in the other. In the non-periodic dimension, one can specify values of the potential or the normal electric field on both boundaries, or one can specify that a vacuum exists outside the plasma or any combination of these on each boundary. The plasma model can be non-neutral. Because the final solution has a particularly simple form, it can be obtained with only one Fast Fourier Transform, and therefore this model is only slightly slower than conventional doubly periodic models. External electrostatic sources, either on the boundaries or in the plasma interior, can be added in a natural way. The computer model is tested by examining the propagation of linear waves in a plasma slab bounded by vacuum. The predictions of a dispersion relation based on a warm fluid model are compared with the results obtained from the computer model, with very good agreement for the real parts of the frequencies.     

Laser shaping of a relativistic intense, short Gaussian pulse by a plasma lens

By 3D particle-in-cell simulation and analysis, we propose a plasma lens to make high intensity, high contrast laser pulses with a steep front. When an intense, short Gaussian laser pulse of circular polarization propagates in near-critical plasma, it drives strong currents of relativistic electrons which magnetize the plasma. Three pulse shaping effects are synchronously observed when the laser passes through the plasma lens. The laser intensity is increased by more than 1 order of magnitude while the initial Gaussian profile undergoes self-modulation longitudinally and develops a steep front. Meanwhile, a nonrelativistic prepulse can be absorbed by the overcritical plasma lens, which can improve the laser contrast without affecting laser shaping of the main pulse. If the plasma skin length is properly chosen and kept fixed, the plasma lens can be used for varied laser intensity above 10(19) W/cm(2).     

Plasma Hyperconductivity

A hypothesis of plasma hyperconductivity is considered. A preliminary study of the problem shows that a state of hyperconductivity can arise in cold plasma as a result of irradiation, and even in plasma produced as a result of the ionization of gas upon irradiation. This hypothesis can be easily verified experimentally.     

Beat-wave excitation of plasma waves based on relativistic bistability

A nonlinear beat-wave regime of plasma wave excitation is considered. Two beat-wave drivers are considered: intensity-modulated laser pulse and density-modulated (microbunched) electron beam. It is shown that a long beat-wave pulse can excite strong plasma waves in its wake even when the beat-wave frequency is detuned from the electron plasma frequency. The wake is caused by the dynamic bistability of the nonlinear plasma wave if the beat-wave amplitude exceeds the analytically calculated threshold. In the context of a microbunched beam driven plasma wakefield accelerator, this excitation regime can be applied to developing a femtosecond electron injector.     

Storing, retrieving, and processing optical information by Raman backscattering in plasmas

By employing stimulated Raman backscattering in a plasma, information carried by a laser pulse can be captured in the form of a very slowly propagating plasma wave that persists for a time long compared with the pulse duration. If the plasma is then probed with a short laser pulse, the information stored in the plasma wave can be retrieved in a second scattered electromagnetic wave. The recording and retrieving processes can conserve robustly the pulse shape, thus enabling the recording and retrieving with fidelity of information stored in optical signals.     

Electromagnetic Plasma Modes at ?pe

The problem of the electromagnetic plasma radiation near the electron plasma frequency ?pe is studied in the absence of an external magnetic field. Maxwell's equations together with the fluid equations, which include thermal effects, are solved for an infinite geometry as well as for a finite geometry, and the problem of the eigenmodes at a plasma frequency ? ?pe is studied. The excitation of these modes by a small density relativistic beam is discussed. It is shown that the presence of a small density beam with finite ?o/c (where ?o is the beam velocity and c the velocity of light in a vacuum) in a plasma of finite thermal velocity, can couple linearly the plasma oscillations excited by the beam with the electromagnetic plasma mode at ?pe. It is also shown that surface waves at a frequency ? ?pe can be excited by the beam.     

Variation of plasma parameters in a modified mode of plasma production in a double plasma device

A modified mode of plasma production in a double plasma device is presented and plasma parameters are controlled in this configuration. Here plasma is produced by applying a discharge voltage between the hot filaments in the source (cathode) and the target magnetic cage (anode) of the device. In this configuration, the hot electron emitting filaments are present only in the source and the magnetic cage of this is kept at a negative bias such that due to the repulsion of the cage bias, the primary electrons can go to the grounded target and produce plasma there. The plasma parameters can be controlled by varying the voltages applied to the source magnetic cage and the separation grid of the device.     

冷等离子体强化制备金属催化剂研究进展

冷等离子体属于非热平衡等离子体,具有较高的电子能量和较低的气体温度,是一种制备金属催化剂的绿色新方法.等离子体强化制备金属催化剂包含复杂的物理和化学多相反应.一方面,等离子体提供的高活性环境不但可以加速化学反应,使反应时间从数小时缩短至数分钟,还可以使热力学或者动力学上不可行的反应发生,实现非常规制备;另一方面,等离子体强化制备过程中,在介观尺度上等离子体对相接触行为的影响,可使获得的金属催化剂结构区别于传统方法制备的催化剂.本综述总结了冷等离子体制备金属催化剂的反应器结构、物理化学机理、获得金属催化剂的结构特性、制备面临的挑战,并对未来发展进行了展望.重点阐述了冷等离子体反应器、制备机制及其对金属催化剂结构和性能的影响.     

Generation of homogeneous plasma in a low-pressure glow discharge

The possibility of producing homogeneous plasma in a low-pressure discharge with the use of a hollow anode or hollow cathode is analyzed. It is shown that, in contrast to the high-pressure discharge, where uniform ionization is needed to produce homogeneous plasma, in the low-pressure discharge, nearly uniform radial distribution of the plasma parameters can be achieved under nonuniform ionization conditions by increasing the ionization probability at the system periphery and reducing it near the system axis. It is shown that the magnetic field can facilitate generation of the homogeneous plasma instead of interfering with it.     

Equivalent charge of photons and neutrinos in a plasma

It is suggested that it is possible to define an equivalent electric charge for an intense laser pulse (which can be described as a photon bunch) propagating in a plasma. It is also shown that this equivalent charge can be a source of new radiation processes in an inhomogeneous plasma. The results are extended to the case of a neutrino bunch, which is coupled to the plasma by weak nuclear forces.     

Analysis of Electromagnetic Scattering from Plasma Antenna Using CG-FFT Method

A gaseous plasma column as an efficient radiator of electromagnetic waves is well known. This paper presents the scattering analysis of a plasma antenna using the conjugate gradient fast Fourier transform (CG-FFT) method. Radar cross sections (RCS) of designed plasma antenna for different plasma parameters are computed mainly. Numerical results show that the plasma antenna with appropriate parameters can offer lower RCS than the metal one. It is evident from the observed scattering characteristics that the plasma antenna can be regarded as a rod of imperfect conductor with losses.     

Time-dependent nested-well plasma trap

When arranged in a nested-well configuration, plasma traps of the Penning/Malmberg type become potentially suitable for confining neutral plasmas. The nested-well configuration allows confinement of overlapping electron and ion plasmas. With an ion plasma overlapped by an equal-charge-density electron plasma, the ion density can exceed the severe ion density limit which occurs within traditional single-well plasma traps. With a nested-well configuration which is time dependent, overlapping electron and singly charged-ion plasmas can be confined at the same temperature. Possible uses of thermal neutral plasmas confined within time-dependent nested-well plasma traps include basic plasma science studies and plasma processing applications