Two-Dimensional Fluid Simulation of Collisional Plasma Sheath over rf Powered Electrode with Cylindrical Hole

Abstract

The characteristics of collisional radio-frequency (rf) sheath dynamics over an electrode with a cylindrical hole is simulated by means of a self-consistent model which consists of two-dimensional time-dependent fluid equations coupled with Poisson equation. In addition, an equivalent-circuit model is coupled to the fluid equations in order to self-consistently determine relationship between the instantaneous potential at the rf-biased electrode and the sheath thickness. Two-dimensional profiles of the potential, the ion fluid velocity, and the distributions of the ion and electron densities within the sheath are computed under various discharge conditions, such as the discharge powers and the gas pressures. The results show that the existence of the cylindrical hole on the electrode significantly affects the sheath structure and generates a potential trap in the horizontal direction, which is particularly strong when the sheath thickness is comparable to the depth of the hole. Moreover, it is found that the collisional effects have a significant influence on the sheath characteristics.