A pulsed dielectric-barrier discharge in xenon has been simulated for operating conditions typical to excimer lamps, in which the discharge is considered spatially homogeneous. The computer model developed is based on the xenon plasma chemistry, the circuit, and the Boltzmann equations. First, the validity of the physical model was checked and compared to experimental and theoretical works, and then the model is applied in the case of a sinusoidal voltage at period frequencies in the range of 50 kHz–2 MHz. The results obtained with the present description are in good agreement with experimental measurements and one-dimensional fluid prediction in terms of electrical characteristics and vacuum ultraviolet (vuv) emission. The effect of operation voltage, power source frequency, dielectric capacitance, as well as gas pressure on the discharge efficiency and the 172, 150, and 147 nm photon generation, under the typical experimental operating conditions and for the case of a sinusoidal applied voltage, have been investigated and discussed. Calculations suggest that the overall conversion efficiency from electrical energy to vuv emission in the lamp is greater than 38%, and it will be very affected at high power source frequency and high gas pressure with a significant dependence on the dielectric capacitance.
Theoretical studies of a phototriggered XeCl excimer laser have been performed through the development of a zero-dimensional model and used for conditions close to experiment for about 50–100 ns laser pulse duration with electron power deposition in the MW/cm3 range and inside a 300 cm3 chamber. The well-known parallel resistor network model is used. The plasma generated by the impulse discharge is represented by one or more resistance in parallel, whose conductivity is proportional to the electron density. Time variation of the electron density is obtained by integrating the transport equations coupled to the heavy species kinetic and the external circuit. This study provides the time variation of the discharge characteristics as well as the influence of the gas composition on these characteristics. The results have been discussed and analyzed. Calculated discharge current and voltage are also compared with experimental results. Finally, the use of the present model allows a good comprehension of the halogen depletion phenomena, which is the principal cause of laser ending and allows a simple study of the evolution of a large-scale heterogeneity in preionization density and its effect on electrical and chemical plasma properties.
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