[en] A numerical model is presented for surface microdischarges (SMDs) in flowing humid air at atmospheric pressure, to investigate the effects of the direct ohmic heating of gases in the discharge layer, and the transports of heat and particles by gas flow. Using a simplified configuration of heat transfer and gas flow, the proposed model calculated not only the densities of neutral species but also the temperatures of gases as time dependent variables. The calculated dynamics for various reactive oxygen and nitrogen species showed reasonable agreement with the experimental results obtained by Fourier transformed infrared absorption spectroscopy, while the calculated dynamics without ohmic heating of gases in the discharge layer showed significant disagreement. These results imply that local ohmic heating of the thin discharge layer by the microdischarge itself considerably affected the rate constants of the temperature dependent chemical reactions. The dynamics of the neutral species were also affected by gas flow, both directly through particle transport, and indirectly through cooling. Accordingly, to properly simulate the dynamics of reactive neutral species in SMDs, plasma chemistry models should treat plasmas as sources of both particles and heat which can be deliberately transported by gas flow. (paper)

[en] Ion distributions in expanding collisionless sheaths of two-dimensional (2D) grid electrodes were studied by using XOOPIC (particle-in-cell) simulations when short pulses of negative high-voltage were applied to electrodes immersed in plasmas. 2D grid electrodes consist of a periodic array of cylindrical electrodes, and the opening ratio of the grid electrodes is defined by the ratio of the spacing between cylindrical electrodes to the periodic length of the grid electrodes. In this paper, we introduce a normalized ion distribution function in normalized coordinates, and it is shown by simulation that the normalized ion distribution function depends only on the opening ratio of the grid electrodes. When the opening ratio of the grid electrodes is fixed, the ion distribution in expanding sheaths can be easily found in various conditions using only a single run of a PIC simulation, and the computation time can be significantly reduced. (paper)

[en] Sheath expansion was investigated for two-dimensional (2D) grid electrodes which consist of a periodic array of cylindrical electrodes when short pulses of negative high-voltage were applied to the electrodes immersed in plasmas. In the sheath expansion model, a geometric function which describes the electrode system is crucial to numerically calculate the temporal evolution of a sheath boundary. In this paper, the 2D geometric function of grid electrodes was obtained by using XOOPIC (particle-in-cell) simulation. When the ratio between the diameter of cylindrical electrodes and grid spacing is fixed, we found that the geometric functions and the temporal evolutions of the sheath boundary for grid electrodes are identical in normalized coordinates. The numerical calculation results of the temporal evolutions of the sheath boundary showed reasonable agreements with the experimental measurements carried out in argon plasmas produced by hot filament discharges with neutral gas pressure of ∼0.4 mTorr and plasma density in the order of 10¹⁰cm⁻³ in a multi-dipole device. (paper)

[en] An electron cyclotron resonance plasma source with a belt-type magnet assembly and slit antennas was developed for generating high density plasmas at low operating pressures. To enhance plasma confinement and avoid the disadvantages of quartz windows, a continuous arrangement of magnets and direct microwave injection from the slit antennas without quartz windows was used. This plasma source operated at an argon gas pressure of 0.4–1 mTorr and microwave power of 300–800 W. Electron temperature and ion density are dependent on the radial and axial position. (paper)

[en] Highlights: •The sputter depositions were followed by ion beam irradiations within a microsecond pulse. •Both ion beam generation and sputter deposition were conducted by using grid electrodes. •Ion implantation and sputter deposition were conducted by using a single power supply. •The insulator substrates were free of problems caused by high voltage. -- Abstract: A grid electrode assisted plasma based ion implantation system, which was originally designed only for ion implantation on insulator substrates, was investigated as a system of sputter deposition with high energy ion beam irradiation. When pulses of negative high voltage were applied to grid electrodes immersed in argon plasmas, high energy ions were observed to bombard the surface of the grid electrodes during the rise and plateau times of the pulses, using particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The resulting sputter deposition of atoms on the substrate from the stainless steel grid electrodes was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. During the fall time of the pulses, PIC simulations indicated high energy ion beams of pseudowaves bombarded the surface of the substrate. Thus we verified that by using grid electrodes, ion beams can irradiate the insulator substrate after the sputter deposition within the time scale of a single pulse. In the proposed configuration, problems due to high voltage on insulator can be avoided because the insulator substrates float in plasmas for the entire process. Finally, we discuss potential application of the system for ion beam assisted deposition as a compact plasma based ion implantation and deposition system, which does not require a separate sputtering system.