We present the experimental evidence of the collisionless electron bounce resonance heating (BRH) in low-pressure dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas. In capacitively coupled plasmas at low pressures when the discharge frequency and gap satisfy a certain resonant condition, the high energy beamlike electrons can be generated by fast sheath expansion, and heated by the two sheaths coherently, thus the BRH occurs. By using a combined measurement of a floating double probe and optical emission spectroscopy, we demonstrate the effect of BRH on plasma properties, such as plasma density and light emission, especially in dual-frequency discharges.
To cite this version:E Schüngel, Q-Z Zhang, S Iwashita, J Schulze, L-J Hou, et al.. Control of plasma properties in capacitively coupled oxygen discharges via the electrical asymmetry effect. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, IOP Publishing, 2011, 44 (28) Abstract. By using a combined experimental, numerical and analytical approach, we investigate the control of plasma properties via the Electrical Asymmetry Effect (EAE) in a capacitively coupled oxygen discharge. In particular, we present the first experimental investigation of the EAE in electronegative discharges. A dual-frequency voltage source of 13.56 MHz and 27.12 MHz is applied to the powered electrode and the discharge symmetry is controlled by adjusting the phase angle θ between the two harmonics. It is found that the bulk position and density profiles of positive ions, negative ions, and electrons have a clear dependence on θ, while the peak densities and the electronegativity stay rather constant, largely due to the fact that the time averaged power absorption by electrons is almost independent of θ. This indicates that the ion flux towards the powered electrode remains almost constant. Meanwhile, the dc self-bias and, consequently, the sheath widths and potential profile can be effectively tuned by varying θ. This enables a flexible control of the ion bombarding energy at the electrode. Therefore, our work proves the effectiveness of the EAE to realize separate control of ion flux and ion energy in electronegative discharges. At low pressure, the strength of resonance oscillations, which are found in the current of asymmetric discharges, can be controlled with θ.
Experiments are carried out to investigate the rotation of dust clusters in a radio-frequency plasma sheath with a vertical magnetic field. Our observations are in disagreement with the standard model, in which it was assumed that the neutral gas is at rest and that a steady rotation is attained when the ion-drag force is balanced by neutral friction. Here, we re-examine this basic assumption by carefully designed experiments. Our results suggest that the neutral gas is set into rotation by E×B induced ion flow through ion-neutral collisions and that the dust particles are advected by this flow. A hydrodynamic model is proposed to describe the rotation of the neutral gas and it can explain our observations.
Recently a so-called electrical asymmetry effect (EAE), which could achieve high-degree separate control of ion flux and energy in dual-frequency capacitively coupled radio-frequency (CCRF) discharges, was discovered theoretically by Heil et al. [J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 41, 165202 (2008)] and was confirmed by experiments and theory/numerical simulations later on for electropositive argon discharges. In this work simulations based on particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision are performed to study the EAE on electronegative oxygen plasmas in geometrically symmetric CCRF discharges. Dual frequency discharges operating at 13.56 and 27.12 MHz are simulated for different pressures and the results are compared with those of electropositive argon discharges at the same conditions. It is found that in general the EAE on oxygen discharges has similar behavior as on argon discharge: The self-bias voltage η increases monotonically and almost linearly with the increase in the phase angle θ between the two driving voltages in the range 0<θ<90°, and the maximum ion energy varies by a factor of 3 by adjusting θ. However, the ion flux varies with θ by ±12% for low pressure and by ±15% for higher pressure, due primarily to an enhanced plasma series resonance, which then leads to dramatic changes in plasma density, power absorption and consequently the electronegativity. This may place a limitation for achieving separate control of ion energy and flux for electronegative plasma via the EAE.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.