Electromagnetic particle simulation of electron cyclotron resonance microwave discharge

Abstract

We present a numerical model to study the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave discharge using a one-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision method [C. K. Birdsall, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 19, 65 (1991)]. In our model, the electromagnetic wave is polarized circularly and propagates along an external static magnetic field and elastic, excitational, and ionizing electron-neutral collisions and elastic and charge exchange ion-neutral collisions are included. The discharge for helium gas is simulated and the simulation results explain well the physical properties of the ECR discharge which include the energy absorption of electrons through ECR coupling, the propagation of microwave, the transports of the charged particles, and the effect of divergent external magnetic field.