Hybrid Monte Carlo-fluid model of a direct current glow discharge

Abstract

A self-consistent hybrid Monte Carlo-fluid model for a direct current glow discharge-is presented. The Monte Carlo part simulates the fast electrons while the fluid part describes the ions and slow electrons. Typical results of the model include collision rates of the fast electrons, energy distributions of these electrons, fluxes and densities of the different plasma species, the electric field and the potential distribution, all as a function of position from the cathode. The influence of the negative glow on the calculations in the cathode dark space is studied. Moreover the influence of three-dimensional scattering instead of forward scattering and the incorporation of side wall effects is investigated. Calculations are carried out for a range of voltages and pressures in order to study their influence on the calculated quantities. Comparison was made between total electrical currents calculated in the model and experimentally measured ones to check the validity of the model.

Modeling of the plasma chemistry and plasma–surface interactions in reactive plasmas

“…We try to obtain this insight by computer simulations. Several modeling approaches exist for plasmas, such as analytical models [1,2], fluid models [3,4], the Boltzmann equation [5], Monte Carlo (MC) [6,7], and particle-in-cell MC simulations [8,9], collisional-radiative (CR) models [10,11], as well as hybrid models, which are a combination of the above models [12][13][14]. For describing the plasma chemistry, fluid modeling is, however, the most suitable approach, because a large number of plasma species and chemical reactions can be taken into ac-In these equations, n, j, and R stand for the species number density, flux, and production or loss rate.…”

Numerical Modeling of Analytical Glow Discharges

“…However, when we want to calculate the detailed excitation and de-excitation between the various excited argon and copper levels for the collisional-radiative models (see below), all electrons, also the slow ones, are simulated with the Monte Carlo model, because low-energy electrons can cause de-excitation or excitation to nearby levels. More information about this model can be found elsewhere [23][24][25][26][27].…”

“…The advantage of this scheme is its ability to switch between situations where either the migration component or the diffusion component of the particle flux is dominant, namely in the high and low electric field, sheath region (CDS) and bulk plasma (NG), respectively. More details about this model can be found in the literature [24][25][26][27]31,32].…”

Chemistry in glow discharges of H2/O2mixtures: diagnostics and modelling

“…On the one hand, inelastic and reactive collisions can deplete the high energy tail of a thermal eedf [75][76][77]. On the other hand, a small amount of non-thermal electrons, with energies extending to that corresponding to the cathode-anode voltage, can also be present in the discharge [78][79][80]. Electron impact dissociative processes can give rise to hot atoms that are mostly thermalized within the glow.…”