Radiation transport coupled particle-in-cell simulation of low-pressure inductive discharges

Low pressure (1-5 Torr) argon discharges driven by an inductive radio frequency wave are simulated with a one-dimensional radiation transport coupled particle-in-cell model. The discharge is maintained by an induced azimuthal electric field which is self-consistently coupled with plasma dynamics. The radiation efficiency is investigated for the variations of input power, gas pressure, and cylinder radius, and compared with that of positive column discharges. The radiation efficiency is improved up to 8% compared with that of conventional positive column discharges by virtue of reduced radiation trapping resulting from enhancement of excitation collisions near the wall for inductive discharges. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.