Theoretical Study of Surface Extraordinarily Polarized Waves on the Second Harmonic of the Ion Cyclotron Frequency in Nonuniform Plasma and their Application for Material Processing

Abstract

Properties of slow electromagnetic surface waves propagating across an external magnetic field on the second harmonic of ion cyclotron frequency are studied here in the case of plasma with nonuniform density profile and weak spatial dispersion. These waves are eigen modes of the restricted wave guide structure consisting of semi bounded plasma region, dielectric layer (its thickness can be also equal to zero) and metal wall with conductivity that is much larger than that of the plasma. The structure is immersed into an external steady magnetic field oriented parallel to the plasma interface. Theoretical research into effect of transverse nonuniformity of plasma density on dispersion properties of these surface modes is carried out using a kinetic approach and a set of Maxwell equations for their field. To illustrate the ability of these modes to sustain a gas discharge, the flow of their wave power and the quantity of their power absorbed through collisional and collisionless mechanisms of the power transfer into the discharge are calculated. Comparison of the obtained results with the cases of surface cyclotron waves with other polarization is carried out as well.