Fluid modeling of plasma dynamics in pulsed RF capacitive glow discharges in low pressure argon

Based on the drift-diffusive approximation, one-dimensional fluid modeling is carried out for the pulsed RF capacitive glow discharges in low pressure argon. Investigated are the effects of various discharge parameters, such as the duty cycle ratio and frequency of the pulsed modulation, and the material properties of the electrode, on the plasma characteristics such as the electron recombination rate, during both the initial and the steady state phases of the discharge. The modeling results show that, after switching off the applied voltage during the pulsed modulation of the RF discharge, the electron density increases first and then decreases. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced before the discharge reaches steady state. Meanwhile, independent of whether the discharge has reached steady state or not, right after the applied voltage is switched on during each modulation period, the electron and ion densities and the metastable argon atom density, as well as their generation rate, experience a time delay (phase lag) with respect to the applied voltage. The results also show that, at the initial phase of the pulsed modulation, during the steady state discharge, the electron temperature in the center of the bulk plasma is almost not affected by the applied voltage, or by the material properties of the electrode such as the secondary electron emission rate. The electron density, however, does increase with these parameters, resulting in increased power density dissipation of the plasma. On the other hand, at fixed applied voltage, the central electron temperature of the bulk plasma is reduced by increasing several parameters, including the modulation duty ratio, the distance between two electrodes, and the modulation frequency, as well as the electron recombination rate due to different choices of the electrode material. This eventually leads to a reduction of the dissipated power density in the plasma. In particular, with the increase of the modulation duty ratio, the distance between electrodes, or the RF modulation frequency, the electron temperature decays slower after switching off the applied voltage within the modulation period. All the above studies are also accompanied by a systematic investigation of the temporal and spatial distributions of the electron energy conversion during the pulsed RF discharge.