In this work, we present the results of simulations carried out for N2-H2 capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharges, running at low pressure (0.3-0.9 mbar), low power (5-20 W), and for amounts of H2 up to 5 pct. Simulations are performed using a hybrid code that couples a two-dimensional time-dependent fluid module, describing the dynamics of the charged particles in the discharge, to a zero-dimensional kinetic module, that solves the Boltzmann equation and describes the production and destruction of neutral species. The model accounts for the production of several vibrationally and electronic excited states, and contains a detailed surface chemistry that includes recombination processes and the production of NHx molecules. The results obtained highlight the relevance of the interactions between plasma and surface, given the role of the secondary electron emission in the electrical parameters of the discharge and the critical importance of the surface production of ammonia to the neutral and ionic chemistry of the discharge.
Two-dimensional capacitively coupled radio frequency discharge in methane is simulated by PIC-MCC method. The results were obtained in pressure range 50-300 mTorr and voltage range 40-180 V for discharge frequency 13.56 MHz. The electron energy and electron--methane reaction rates spatial distributions show existence of two regimes of discharge glow: a) with active sheaths, when electrons are hot in electrode sheaths and cold in the middle of discharge so the electron-neutral reactions strongly dominate in sheaths regions; b) with volume domination, when the electron energy is more uniform and…
We use the one-dimensional object-oriented particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision code oopd1 to explore the charged particle densities, the electronegativity, the electron energy probability function (EEPF), and the electron heating mechanism in a single frequency capacitively coupled oxygen discharge when the applied voltage amplitude is varied. We explore discharges operated at 10 mTorr, where electron heating within the plasma bulk (the electronegative core) dominates, and at 50 mTorr where sheath heating dominates. At 10 mTorr the discharge is operated in combined drift-ambipolar (DA) and …
The effect of micron-sized particles on a low-pressure capacitively-coupled rf discharge is studied both experimentally and using numerical simulations. In the laboratory experiments, microparticle clouds occupying a considerable fraction of the discharge volume are supported against gravity with the help of the thermophoretic force. The spatiotemporally resolved optical emission measurements are performed with different arrangements of microparticles. The numerical simulations are carried out on the basis of a one-dimensional hybrid (fluid-kinetic) discharge model describing the interaction b…
The effect of surface quenching coefficients of $O_2(a^{1}Δg)$ and $O_2(b^{1}Σg^{+})$ on capacitively coupled $Ar$/$O_2$ discharge: A global/equivalent circuit model study
Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams (Ministry of Education), School of Physics, Dalian University of Technology（大连理工大学激光、离子和电子束材料改性教育部重点实验室物理学院）
The Darwin approximation is investigated for its possible use in simulation of electromagnetic effects in large size, high frequency capacitively coupled discharges. The approximation is utilized within the framework of two different fluid models which are applied to typical cases showing pronounced standing wave and skin effects. With the first model it is demonstrated that Darwin approximation is valid for treatment of such effects in the range of parameters under consideration. The second approach, a reduced nonlinear Darwin approximation-based model, shows that the electromagnetic phenomen…
The influence of charge trap states in the dielectric boundary material on capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma discharge is investigated with theory and Particle in cell/Monte Carlo Collision simulation. It is found that the trap states of the wall material manipulated discharge properties mainly through the varying ion induced secondary electron emission (SEE) coefficient in response to dynamic surface charges accumulated within solid boundary. A comprehensive SEE model considering surface charging is established first, which incorporates the valence band electron distribution, electr…
An argon-xenon (Ar/Xe) plasma is used as a model system for complex plasmas. Based on this system, symmetric low-pressure capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharges are examined utilizing Particle-In-Cell/Monte Carlo Collisions (PIC/MCC) simulations. In addition to the simulation, an analytical energy balance model fed with the simulation data is applied to analyze the findings further. This work focuses on investigating the ion dynamics in a plasma with two ion species and a gas mixture as background. By varying the gas composition and driving voltage of the single-frequency discharge, f…
Experimental investigation of an electronegative cylindrical capacitively coupled geometrically asymmetric plasma discharge with an axisymmetric magnetic field
An 18-level argon collisional radiative model (CRM) suitable for low pressure was established. The model can be solved by combining the optical emission spectroscopy (OES) with Langmuir probe calibration. In the capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs) with different frequency and power, the electron temperature and density obtained by the model were compared with those measured by Langmuir probe. It is found that the calibration point at any frequency or power is suitable for the fixed pressure. This method was then applied to the diagnosis of triple-frequency (TF) CCPs, it is shown that the high …
In this manuscript, a fluid model is utilized to calculate the density of plasma species assuming geometrically symmetric Ar/CF4 Radiofrequency Capacitively Coupled Plasmas. The electrodes are driven by a sinusoidal waefront with an amplitude of 200 V and a frequency of 13.56 MHz. The gap between the electrodes is 5cm. The plasma species density is calculated as a function of the gas pressure, electron temperature, and the gas composition. In a good agreement with recent experimental results, $CF^+_3$ and F are dominant for all considered simulation parameters. The results explain the pathways…
In capacitively coupled radio frequency (CCRF) discharges, the interaction of the plasma and the surface boundaries is linked to a variety of highly relevant phenomena for technological processes. One possible plasma-surface interaction is the generation of secondary electrons (SEs), which significantly influence the discharge when accelerated in the sheath electric field. However, SEs, in particular electron-induced SEs ($\updelta$-electrons), are frequently neglected in theory and simulations. Due to the relatively high threshold energy for the effective generation of $\updelta$-electrons at…
We use the one-dimensional object-oriented particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision code oopd1 to explore the influence of the surface quenching of the singlet delta metastable molecule O$_2$(a$^1Δ_{\rm g}$) on the electron heating mechanism, and the electron energy probability function (EEPF), in a single frequency capacitively coupled oxygen discharge. When operating at low pressure (10 mTorr) varying the surface quenching coefficient in the range 0.00001 -- 0.1 has no influence on the electron heating mechanism and electron heating is dominated by drift-ambipolar (DA) heating in the plasma bu…
The dynamical characteristics of a single frequency low pressure capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) device under varying applied RF voltages and driving frequencies are studied using particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision simulations. An operational regime is identified where for a given voltage the plasma density is found to remain constant over a range of driving frequencies and to then increase rapidly as a function of the driving frequency. The threshold frequency for this mode transition as well as the value of the constant density is found to increase with an increase in the applied volta…
Following requirements of the plasma processing industry for increasing throughput, capacitively coupled plasma reactors with large area electrodes driving by very high frequency sources have been proposed. However, such reactors with plasmas inside support modes which can negatively influence the uniformity in the ion fluxes or the average energy of the ions impinging on the substrates, which is an essential requirement of the industry. It is shown when the popular electrostatic approximation used for description of the fields in capacitively coupled plasmas (CCP) breaks down and when these m…
One-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation is used to simulate the capacitively coupled argon plasma for a range of driving frequency from 13.56 MHz to 100 MHz. The argon chemistry set can, selectively, include two metastable levels enabling multi-step ionization and metastable pooling. The results show that the plasma density decreases when metastable atoms are included with higher discrepancy at higher excitation frequency. The contribution of multistep ionization to overall density increases with excitation frequency. The electron temperature increases with the inclusion of metastable atom…
In this article, the stability of a complex plasma monolayer levitating in the sheath of the poweredelectrode of an asymmetric capacitively coupled radio-frequency argon discharge is studied. Com-pared to earlier studies, a better integration of the experimental results and theory is achieved byoperating with actual experimental control parameters such as the gas pressure and the dischargepower. It is shown that for a given microparticle monolayer at a fixed discharge power there existtwo threshold pressures: (i) above a specific pressure p cryst , the monolayer always crystallises; (ii)below …
A particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation study is performed to investigate the discharge asymmetry, higher harmonic generations and electron heating mechanism in a low pressure very high frequency capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) excited by a saw-tooth like current waveform. Two current densities, 50 A/m2 and 100 A/m2 are chosen for a constant gas pressure of 5 mTorr in argon plasma. The driving frequency is varied from 13.56 MHz to 54.24 MHz. At a lower driving frequency, high frequency modulations on the instantaneous sheath edge position at the grounded electrode are observed. These high freque…
A system of automated computerized Langmuir probe measurements is used in order to determine the plasma parameters in a plasma reactor constructed for cleaning of metallic artifacts by RF discharge. A compensated probe insures the suppression of the RF interference. The probe data are collected using a commercial data acquisition unit connected to a portable computer. The raw data are processed using wavelet transforms techniques which assures the de-noising of the probe signal without distortion of the probe I-V characteristic. The first and second derivatives of the I-V characteristic are de…
Revisiting Electron Heating in Capacitively Coupled Plasma (CCP) Discharges: A Nonlinear Dynamics Perspective
Institute for Plasma Research（等离子体研究所）；Homi Bhabha National Institute（霍米·巴巴国立研究所）；School of Physical Sciences, UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, University of Mumbai（孟买大学物理科学学院，UM-DAE基础科学卓越中心）
We use the one-dimensional object-oriented particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision code oopd1 to explore the properties and the origins of both the electric field and electron power absorption within the plasma bulk for a capacitively coupled oxygen discharge operated at 10 and 100 mTorr for 45 mm of gap distance. The properties of the electric field at three different time slices as well as time averaged have been explored considering the moments of the Boltzmann equation. The electron power absorption is distinctly different at these operating pressures. The most relevant contributions to the…
Electron emission from the boundary is ubiquitous in capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) and precipitates nonnegligible influences on the discharge properties. Here we present the PIC-MCC simulation of an Ohmic-dominant heating mode of capacitively coupled plasma where the stochastic heating vanishes and only Ohmic heating sustains the discharge, due to sheath inversion by boundary electron emission. The inverted CCP features negative sheath potential without Bohm presheath, hence excluding plasma heating due to sheath edge oscillation. The particle and energy transport of the proposed heating m…
The mixing of N2 with H2 leads to very different plasmas from pure N2 and H2 plasma discharges. Numerous issues are therefore raised involving the processes leading to ammonia (NH3) formation. The aim of this work is to better characterize capacitively-coupled radiofrequency plasma discharges in N2 with few percents of H2 (up to 5 pct), at low pressure (0.3 to 1 mbar) and low coupled power (3 to 13 W). Both experimental measurements and numerical simulations are performed. For clarity, we separated the results in two complementary parts. The actual one (first part), presents the details on the…
Phase Resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy (PROES) measurements combined with 1d3v Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collisions (PIC/MCC) simulations are used to study the electron power absorption and excitation/ionization dynamics in capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs) in mixtures of neon and oxygen gases. The study is performed for a geometrically symmetric CCP reactor with a gap length of 2.5 cm at a driving frequency of 10~MHz and a peak-to-peak voltage of 350 V. The pressure of the gas mixture is varied between 15 Pa and 500 Pa, while the neon/oxygen concentration is tuned between 10% and 9…
The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of customized electrodes on the electron heating dynamics of the COST-Jet. The COST-Jet is operated with an applied sinusoidal alternating voltage of 13.56 MHz. With the help of phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy (PROES), the electron heating dynamics in the plasma discharge for customized electrodes, gas mixtures and applied voltage amplitudes are examined. The absolute densities of atomic oxygen are then examined using two photon laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TALIF) in order to obtain information on the production of rea…
External matching networks are crucial and necessary for operating capacitively coupled plasmas in order to maximize the absorbed power. Experiments show that external circuits in general heavily interact with the plasma in a nonlinear way. This interaction has to be taken into account in order to be able to design suitable networks, e.g., for plasma processing systems. For a complete understanding of the underlying physics of this coupling, a nonlinear simulation approach which considers both the plasma and the circuit dynamics can provide useful insights. In this work, the coupling of an equ…
We investigate the energy and angular distributions of the ions reaching the electrodes in low-pressure, capacitively coupled oxygen radio-frequency discharges. These distributions, as well as the possibilities of the independent control of the ion flux and the ion energy are analysed for different types of excitation: single- and classical dual-frequency, as well as valleys- and sawtooth-type waveforms. The studies are based on kinetic, particle-based simulations that reveal the physics of these discharges in great details. The conditions cover weakly collisional to highly collisional domains…
The effects of the discharge voltage on the formation and nature of electric field transients in a symmetric, collisionless, very high frequency, capacitively coupled plasma are studied using a self-consistent particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation code. At a driving frequency of 60 MHz and 5 mTorr of argon gas pressure, the discharge voltage is varied from 10V to 150 V for a fixed discharge gap. It is observed that an increase in the discharge voltage causes filamentation in the electric field transients and to create multiple higher harmonics in the bulk plasma. Correspondingly, higher harmonics,…
A thorough understanding of the energy transfer mechanism from the electric field to electrons is of utmost importance for optimization and control of different plasma sources and processes. This mechanism, called electron power absorption, involves complex electron dynamics in electronegative capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs) at low pressures, that are still not fully understood. Therefore, we present a spatio-temporally resolved analysis of electron power absorption in low pressure oxygen CCPs based on the momentum balance equation derived from the Boltzmann equation. Data are obtained fro…
We demonstrate experimentally that the void in capacitively-coupled RF complex plasmas can exist in two qualitative different regimes. The "bright" void is characterized by bright plasma emission associated with the void, whereas the "dim" void possesses no detectable emission feature. The transition from the dim to the bright regime occurs with an increase of the discharge power and has a discontinuous character. The discontinuity is manifested by a kink in the void size power dependencies. We reproduce the bright void (mechanically stabilized due to the balance of ion drag and electrostatic …
Resonantly Driven Electron Bernstein Waves in Magnetized Low-Pressure Capacitive Discharges
School of Physical Sciences, UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, University of Mumbai（孟买大学物理科学学院，UM-DAE基础科学卓越中心）；Institute for Plasma Research（等离子体研究所）；Homi Bhabha National Institute（霍米·巴哈国家研究所）；Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory（普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室）
In this series of three papers we present results from a combined experimental and theoretical effort to quantitatively describe capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharges in oxygen. The particle-in-cell Monte-Carlo model on which the theoretical description is based will be described in the present paper. It treats space charge fields and transport processes on an equal footing with the most important plasma-chemical reactions. For given external voltage and pressure, the model determines the electric potential within the discharge and the distribution functions for electrons, negatively…
We use the one-dimensional object-oriented particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision code {\tt oopd1} to explore the spatio-temporal evolution of the electron heating mechanism in a capacitively coupled oxygen discharge in the pressure range 10 -- 200 mTorr. The electron heating is most significant in the sheath vicinity during the sheath expansion phase. We explore how including and excluding detachment by the singlet metastable states O$_2$(a$^1 Δ_{\rm g}$) and O$_2$(b$^1Σ_{\rm g}^+$) influences the heating mechanism, the effective electron temperature and electronegativity, in the oxygen disch…
Particle-in-cell with Monte Carlo collisions (PIC/MCC) is a fully kinetic, particle based numerical simulation method with increasing popularity in the field of low temperature gas discharge physics. Already in its simplest form (electrostatic, one-dimensional geometry, and explicit time integration), it can properly describe a wide variety of complex, non-local, non-linear phenomena in electrical gas discharges at the microscopic level with high accuracy. However, being a numerical model working with discretized temporal and (partially) spatial coordinates, its stable and accurate operation l…
We report the existence of an enhanced operating regime for a high-frequency, low-pressure capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) discharge in the presence of a weak magnetic field applied parallel to the electrodes. Our PIC-MCC simulations show that the plasma density and ion flux values exhibit a sharp peak when the electron cyclotron frequency equals half of the applied RF frequency. The physical mechanism responsible for this behaviour is traced to a synchronization between the oscillatory motion of the electrode sheath edge and the motion of a set of electrons reflected by this sheath. These e…
Collisionless Bulk Electron Heating in Resonant Low-Voltage Capacitively Coupled Plasmas
Institute for Plasma Research（等离子体研究所）；Homi Bhabha National Institute（霍米·巴巴国立研究所）；Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory（普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室）；Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science（印度科学学院物理系）；School of Physical Sciences, UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, University of Mumbai（孟买大学基础科学卓越中心物理科学学院）
An independent control of the flux and energy of ions impacting on an object immersed in a plasma is often desirable for many industrial processes such as microelectronics manufacturing. We demonstrate that a simultaneous control of these quantities is possible by a suitable choice of a static magnetic field applied parallel to the plane electrodes in a standard single frequency capacitively coupled plasma device. Our particle-in-cell simulations show a 60% reduction in the sheath width (that improves control of ion energy) and a four fold increase in the ion flux at the electrode as a consequ…
Experimental results on an auto-oscillatory pattern observed in a complex plasma are presented. The experiments are performed with an argon plasma which is produced under microgravity conditions using a capacitively-coupled rf discharge at low power and gas pressure. The observed intense wave activity in the complex plasma cloud correlates well with the low-frequency modulation of the discharge voltage and current and is initiated by periodic void contractions. Particle migrations forced by the waves are of long-range repulsive and attractive character.
The paper provides a tutorial to the conceptual layout of a self-consistently coupled Particle-In-Cell/Test-Particle model for the kinetic simulation of sputtering transport in capacitively coupled plasmas at low gas pressures. It explains when a kinetic approach is actually needed and which numerical concepts allow for the inherent nonequilibrium behavior of the charged and neutral particles. At the example of a generic sputtering discharge both the fundamentals of the applied Monte Carlo methods as well as the conceptual details in the context of the sputtering scenario are elaborated on. Fi…
An influence of a high-voltage (3-17 kV) 20 ns pulse on a weakly-ionized low-pressure (0.1-10 Pa) capacitively-coupled radiofrequency (RF) argon plasma is studied experimentally. The plasma evolution after pulse exhibits two characteristic regimes: a bright flash, occurring within 100 ns after the pulse (when the discharge emission increases by 2-3 orders of magnitude over the steady-state level), and a dark phase, lasting a few hundreds μs (when the intensity of the discharge emission drops significantly below the steady-state level). The electron density increases during the flash and remain…
