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A one-dimensional (1D) fluid model is developed to investigate the effect of multi-frequency excitation consisting of consecutive harmonics on the charge of a single dust grain in a weakly collisional capacitively coupled plasma discharge. The spatial distributions of the electron density, the electrons temperature, and the charged particle flux are obtained and analyzed under the effects of the number of harmonics. It is shown that the number of harmonics considerably affects the discharge properties and the sheath thickness. In order to analyze the charge of an injected dust particle under the effect of different operating parameters, the model takes into account the electron and ion currents, as well as the effect of collisions between ions and neutral atoms. The results showed that as the number of harmonics increases, the particle charge increases in the powered sheath region while it decreases in the grounded sheath due to the electrical asymmetry effect. However, the charge remains constant in the central region where the electron temperature is constant. The present study further shows that the gas pressure and the driving frequency affect the dust charge oppositely, where an increase in pressure leads to a decrease in the dust charge, especially in the sheath regions, while the particle charge negatively increases as the driving frequency increases for all excitation waveforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of driving frequency in the range of 13.56–73 MHz on electron energy distribution and electron heating modes in a 50 mTorr capacitively coupled argon plasma discharge is studied using 1D-3V particle-in-cell simulations. Calculated electron energy probability functions exhibit three distinct "temperatures" for low-, mid-, and high-energy electrons at all the studied driving frequencies. When compared to published experimental data, the calculated probability functions show a reasonable agreement for the energy range resolved in the measurements (about 2–10 eV). Discrepancies due to limitations in experimental energy resolution outside this range lead to differences between computational and experimental values of the electron number density determined from the distribution functions, and the predicted effective electron temperature is within 25% of experimental values. The impedance of the discharge is interpreted in terms of a homogeneous equivalent circuit model, and the driving frequency dependence of the inferred combined sheath thickness is found to obey a known, theoretically derived, power law. The average power transferred from the field to the electrons (electron heating) is computed, and a region of negative heating near the sheath edge, particularly at higher driving frequencies, is identified. Analysis of the electron momentum equation shows that electron inertia, which on temporal averaging would be zero in a linear regime, is responsible for negative values of power deposition near the sheath edge at high driving frequencies due to the highly nonlinear behavior of the discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of solid particles produced in plasma of microwave discharge in liquid n-heptane at atmospheric pressure on the electron energy distribution functionand detailed analysis of ion composition of plasma are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A program to simulate gas-discharge kinetics with allowance for the temporal evolution of the electron-energy distribution function is developed on the example of microwave discharge in molecular deuterium with electron cyclotron resonance. The model includes the averaged heating effect of the microwave field at cyclotron resonance, elastic collisions of electrons with electrons and heavy discharge components, and inelastic excitation and transformation reactions. The program considers the temporal evolution of the electron distribution function within these processes, and an algorithm that changes the boundaries of the design range of the distribution function depending on its current values is developed for it. This makes it possible to consider the function variations over a wide energy range. The conditions determining the algorithm accuracy are developed, and the counting-error dynamics upon variation of the parameters of these conditions is given. The adequacy and reliability of the simulation results, which are estimated based on the values of the introduced errors and comparison with third-party models, are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of generating a stationary electric field in a magnetized radio-frequency discharge (rf) plasma is studied experimentally. Helmholtz coils produce magnetic field in a cylindrical vacuum chamber with diameter of 85.6 cm and length of 220 cm. RF discharge is generated at a frequency of ~5 MHz. The rf power absorbed by plasma lies in the range 0.5-1.5 kW. Electrodes defining a negative potential are placed at the ends of the chamber. Two pairs of circular flat electrodes with diameter of 5.5 and 45 cm are investigated. The working gas is argon. Radial profiles of electron density and temperature are obtained. Radial profile of the plasma potential is investigated, as well as the dependence of plasma potential on the voltage applied to the end-electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]