Simulation of balanced power feeding plasma surrounded by a metal box

The characteristics of a balanced power feeding VHF plasma was examined by two-dimensional simulation in which a pair of parallel disc discharge electrodes was surrounded by a metal box. The simulation results indicated that charged particles were generated between the discharge electrodes and diffused outside the electrodes. It was found that the discharge outside the electrodes was suppressed by shortening the distance between the electrode and the metal box, and that the discharge state between the electrodes was completely independent of that distance. The discharge with bare metal electrodes provided a lower electron density outside the electrodes than that with electrodes whose outer surfaces were covered by insulators.