Electron transport behavior in normal and abnormal direct current discharge cathode sheath

Abstract

This paper studies the electron transport behavior in normal and abnormal helium direct current (dc) glow discharges using a Monte Carlo simulation, in which the influences of the electron initial energy and cathode surface reflection on the electron swarm behavior are considered. The electron-neutral atom collision processes and the electron swarm parameters (such as the number of collisions, collision rates, ionization coefficient, mean drift velocity, electron density, etc.) are analyzed. The results show that the variations of the initial energy of the electron emitted from the cathode and the cathode reflection cause a weak effect on the electron transport parameters in the two discharges. The results also indicate that the electron transport parameters are quite different in normal and abnormal discharges.