Electron tennis driven by radio-frequency electric fields in low-pressure plasma sources

TL;DR

This paper analyzes electron trajectories in low-pressure capacitively coupled plasmas driven by radio-frequency electric fields, revealing complex sheath features influenced by bouncing electron trajectories and developing a method to explain their origins.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to analyze and explain electron trajectories and sheath features based on surface processes and electron origins.

Findings

Identification of complex sheath features influenced by bouncing electrons

Development of a method to trace electron trajectories and origins

Insights into electron dynamics in RF-driven plasma sheaths

Abstract

We present a detailed analysis of electron trajectories within the sheath regions of capacitively coupled plasmas excited by radio-frequency voltage waveforms at low pressures. Complex features inside the sheaths are identified in several physical quantities, which are sculptured by the trajectories of the bouncing electrons under the influence of the spatio-temporally varying electric field. A method is developed to explain the generation of the various features as a function of surface processes and to identify the trajectories of electrons of different origin.