Two-Dimensional Fluid Model Study of a Planar Inductively Coupled Discharge in Ar/H ₂ Mixture

This article presents a simulation of the planar inductively coupled H<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub>/Ar discharge (hydrogen 20% and argon 80%) at a pressure of 10 mtorr. The inductively discharged model properties operate autonomously in a cylindrical chamber and are implemented using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The fluid model for the plasma species is combined with electromagnetic equations to calculate the electric field resulting from the time-varying magnetic induction of the coil. Since the plasma is weakly ionized, the properties of the neutral gas species are modeled using the Navier–Stokes equations for gas flow. The heating of the gas due to elastic collisions between electrons and neutrals is also considered using the heat transfer equation. This approach allows a better understanding of the physical and chemical processes in the mixture, as well as the properties of the plasma species studied. The energy distribution of the electrons is assumed to be Maxwellian. Since electrons are the primary energy-transferring species, knowledge of the electron–neutral collision cross sections is crucial. A comprehensive and consistent set of cross sections from the literature for argon and hydrogen is used to accurately reproduce the transport coefficients.