Ion-plasma systems with combined electrical and magnetic fields for micro- and nanotechnologies
Keywords:
gas discharge, ion-plasma systems, magnetron sputtering, nanoelectronics, lowtemperature plasma, crossed EH fieldsAbstract
The review is devoted to experimental and theoretical study of ion beams generation and transport in plasma systems with combined electric and magnetic fields, which are widely used in the surface engineering plasma technologies. The ignition processes and integral characteristics of gas discharges are studied in devices with the combined electric (DC, radio-frequency, potential and vortex) and magnetic (DC, AC) fields on the base of planar magnetron discharge in the accelerating and plasma modes, inductively coupled discharge, combined inductive-capacity and inductivemagnetron discharges. Analytical expressions for the ion energy cost and ionization coefficient for the electron group with different energy distribution function are derived and the three types of breakdown and ignition curves for direct-current gas discharge in the magnetic field have been obtained. The change of equilibrium plasma electrons temperature in planar magnetron discharge have been established experimentally and theoretically , as a result of high-energy electrons group existence. The density of this electron group is depended from the discharge power and determines the current–voltage characteristics of discharge at low pressure of working gas. Experimentally set and in theory grounded the principle role of electrodes surface asymmetry in energy balance of RF inductive-capacity discharge, its influence on the total ion power cost and power efficiency of plasma reactors and ion sources. Optimum correlations of electrodes areas for power efficiency, depending on ion energy have been obtained. Systematization of generation and transport processes of ion beams were carried out for plasma systems with different combinations of EH fields. On the basis of drift theory and the conservation laws of particles, impulse and energy the general parameters of similarity and regularities of ion-plasma systems with combined EH fields have been investigated.
