Comments on the Bohm Criterion and on the Determination of the Ion Velocity at the Sheath Edge in Non‐Maxwellian Plasma

Abstract

AbstractThis work is devoted to the study of the Bohm criterion in the general case of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF). Investigations are performed by means of a Monte Carlo integration method. We resolve the cold fluid equation system describing the ion motion within the sheath, assuming collisionless conditions, singly charged and mono kinetic incoming ions (BOHM model). Results confirm that the limit ion velocity at the sheath edge to assure a monotone electric field with a positive charge over the entire sheath is vi ≥ (kTe/Mi) or εi ≥ 1/3 <εe> in the case of Maxwellian electrons. We show that in the case of a Druyvesteyn electron energy distribution, this limit is larger, it is εi ≥ 0.6 <εe>. The study is also extended to other distributions functions. Because of the large controversy in recent publications, concerning the boundary conditions at the sheath entrance, we discuss the collisionless conditions at the sheath edge according to the plasma parameters. It is shown that in a collisionless sheath, the condition ni(χ) ≥ ne(χ) can be used to determine the limit ion velocity at the sheath edge of the negatively biased collector (Langmuir probe for instance) (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)