File(s) under permanent embargo
Reason: This item is currently closed access.
Abnormal heating of low-energy electrons in low-pressure capacitively coupled discharges
journal contribution
posted on 25.02.2008, 11:58 by G.Y. Park, S.J. You, Felipe Iza, Jae Koo LeeIn low-pressure capacitively coupled plasmas, high-energy electrons are collisionlessly heated by large
rf fields in the sheaths while low-energy electrons are confined in the bulk plasma by the ambipolar
potential. Low-energy electrons are typically inefficiently heated due to their low collisionality and the
weak rf electric field present in the bulk. It is shown, however, that as a result of the nonlinear interaction
between the electron motion and the weak rf field present in the bulk, low-energy electrons can be
efficiently heated. Electrons in the bulk that bounce inside the electrostatic potential well with a frequency
equal to the rf excitation frequency are efficiently heated by the coherent interaction with the rf field. This
resonant collisionless heating can be very efficient and manifest itself as a plateau in the electron energy probability function.
History
School
- Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering