Optimizing the plasma parameters of a low-pressure coaxial discharge

A theoretical investigation of a coaxial discharge sustained by azimuthally symmetric electromagnetic high-frequency wave (f = 2.45 GHz) at low pressure is presented in this paper. It is based on a numerical one-dimensional axial fluid model recently suggested. The basic relations in the model are the local dispersion relation and the wave energy balance equation obtained from the Maxwell equations. The wave dispersion characteristics and the axial distribution of radially averaged normalized electron number density, dimensionless wave number, wave power and wave field components can be obtained at various discharge conditions. The theoretical dependence of the wave and plasma characteristics on the geometric factors allows us to optimize the plasma parameters changing the gas-discharge conditions. In this way we can find the operating conditions at which the plasma is the most appropriate for a given technological application. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.