A continuous microwave discharge maintained by two crossing millimeter-wave beams in hydrogen and argon: numerical simulation and experiment

Abstract

The results of numerical simulation of a continuous microwave discharge in two crossing wave beams of 30 GHz radiation in a mixture of hydrogen and argon are presented. The model describes the steady state of the gas discharge in Ar–H2–H through the self-consistent solution of the following equations: Maxwell’s equations, the electron balance equation, the transport of hydrogen atoms in the ternary mixture, the heat conduction equation and the equation of state of ideal gas. In Maxwell’s equations the effect of the plasma is taken into account through the conduction current. It is assumed that the generation of electrons occurs due to ionization processes and their loss occurs due to processes of electron–ion recombination and ambipolar diffusion. In the model the heat transfer is considered to be due to gas thermal conductivity and transfer of dissociation energy through the flow of hydrogen atoms. The gas pressure is assumed to be constant, and convection effects are neglected. The other approximations and reductions used in the model are discussed. The adequacy of the obtained model is confirmed by comparing the calculation results to experimental data. For comparison the distributions of gas temperature along the substrate in the center of the discharge and the atomic hydrogen flow to the substrate are used. The temperature is experimentally obtained through the analysis of the optical emission of the C2 Swan line. The atomic hydrogen flow to the substrate is measured from the etching of graphite samples imbedded into the substrate. The possibility of obtaining large-area uniform plasma layers in hydrogen with a small addition of methane is predicted. The applications of such gas discharge are discussed.