Propagating double layers in electronegative plasmas

Propagating double layers in electronegative plasmas

Double layers have been observed to propagate from the source region to the diffusion chamber of a helicon-type reactor filled up with a low-pressure mixture of Ar/SF6 N. Plihon et al., J. Appl. Phys. 98, 023306 2005 . In the present paper the most significant and new experimental results are reported. A fully self-consistent hybrid model in which the electron energy distribution function, the ...

Waves in expanding electronegative plasmas containing double layers

Expanding electronegative EN plasmas have been previously observed, experimentally, to generate wave activity. Using a particle-in-cell PIC code we have investigated these waves in expanding EN plasmas containing a double layer DL between an upstream source region and an expanded downstream region. Oxygen reaction rates were used but modified to correspond more closely to experimental condition...

Ion acoustic waves and double-layers in electronegative expanding plasmas

Experimental investigation of double layers in expanding plasmas

Double layers DLs have been observed in a plasma reactor composed of a source chamber attached to a larger expanding chamber. Positive ion beams generated across the DL were characterized in the low plasma potential region using retarding field energy analyzers. In electropositive gases, DLs were formed at very low pressures between 0.1 and 1 mTorr with the plasma expansion forced by a strongly...

Equilibrium model for two low-pressure electronegative plasmas connected by a double layer

Plihon et al. J. Appl. Phys. 98, 023306 2005 have recently shown that double layers usually form during the expansion of a low pressure electronegative plasma. These double layers act as permeable internal boundaries between the source upstream plasma and the downstream expanding plasma; positive ions flow from upstream to downstream whereas negative ions flow in the opposite direction. So far,...