A Study of the Sustaining Mechanism in an Inductively Coupled Plasma

Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) has recently been of special interest in material processing reactors. We have developed a theoretical model based on the relaxation continuum (RCT) model for a collision-dominated ICP. The spatiotemporal behavior of ICP is investigated at 13.56 MHz in Ar under the crossed electric and magnetic fields. Electrons in time-varying electric and magnetic fields are transported in a complicated manner due to the appearance of E×B-drift originating due to the Larmor motion. As a result, the electron energy gain and loss mechanism is controlled by the Larmor motion and the plasma is mainly sustained near the reactor wall during the phase when the external magnetic field is weakened. The space-time requirements for the maintenance of an ICP are investigated in terms of the net ionization rate and the electron flux.