Inductive Heating andEtoHTransitions in Capacitive Discharges

Capacitive discharges have classically been modeled in the electrostatic approximation. However, electromagnetic effects become significant if the excitation wavelength $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ and the plasma skin depth $\ensuremath{\delta}$ are not infinite. An electromagnetic model valid in the entire range of $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ and $\ensuremath{\delta}$ of practical interest is solved. We find that the plasma may either be sustained by the usual capacitive $(E)$ field or by an inductive $(H)$ field, and that the discharge experiences $E$ to $H$ transitions as the voltage between the electrodes is raised.