Open AccessA model of dc glow discharges with abnormal cathode fall
Author(s) -
Karl H. Schoenbach,
Hao Chen,
G. Schaêfer
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of applied physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.699
H-Index - 319
eISSN - 1089-7550
pISSN - 0021-8979
DOI - 10.1063/1.345294
Subject(s) - cathode , glow discharge , plasma , atomic physics , charged particle , monte carlo method , torr , particle (ecology) , current (fluid) , neutral particle , current density , chemistry , computational physics , materials science , physics , ion , nuclear physics , thermodynamics , mathematics , organic chemistry , oceanography , quantum mechanics , geology , statistics
A model for an abnormal glow discharge, including a self‐consistent analysis of the cathode fall, was developed. It combines microscopic particle simulation by means of Monte Carlo methods with a fluid model of the gas discharge. The model allows calculations of the steady‐state electrical field distribution, the charged‐particle densities, and the current densities along the axis of the discharge. The model was used to simulate a glow discharge in 80% He and 20% SF6 at a pressure of 8 Torr with a current density of 1 A/cm2. The computed discharge voltage agrees well with measured values. The computer code can easily be modified to describe the charged‐particle densities and energies not only in the cathode fall region, but in any plasma boundary layer.
Accelerating Research
Robert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom
Address
John Eccles HouseRobert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom