The Heating of Electrons in Magnetic Traps of Low-Pressure Electron-Cyclotron-Resonance Microwave-Frequency Reactors

Abstract

Methods are analyzed of maintaining plasma in low-pressure electron-cyclotron-resonance reactors in which the ionization is caused by fast electrons blocked in traps developed by permanent magnets. The key part played by zones of electron-cyclotron heating of electrons by the electric field of the wave is treated. The mathematical simulation of the electron motion in magnetic traps is used to investigate the effect of the size of magnetic traps on the efficiency of heating, and the principles of designing electron-cyclotronresonance plasma MW (microwave-frequency) reactors are formulated.

An investigation of the heating of electrons in multipolar magnet systems and design of low-pressure electron-cyclotron-resonance microwave-frequency reactors

“…It is desirable that this increment should exceed the energy of gas ionization in the plasma reactor, so that the electron would be capable of ionizing gas atoms even after a single pass in the ECR zone. As was shown in [21], this may be done by two methods, namely, by increasing the sizes of the magnets and trap and by increasing the intensity of the electric field of microwave in the ECR zones. The second principle of designing may be formulated as follows.…”

Sustaining Mechanisms of the ECR Heating of Electrons in Low-Pressure Microwave Plasmas under Magnetic Multipole Confinement

“…More specifically, the increment should exceed the ionization potential of the process gas so that an electron be capable of ionizing gas molecules after a single pass through an ECR region. This can be achieved in two ways: by changing to larger magnets and a larger trap or by increasing the microwave electric field in the ECR regions [21]. Thus, the second requirement might be formulated as follows.…”