ELECTRIC-FIELDS IN MICROWAVE SOURCES OF A COLD-PLASMA

Mechanisms for influencing the operation parameters of a microwave gas discharge in a magnetic field on the internal plasma parameters of th e discharge are studied analytically and numerically. This influence o ccurs through a specific electric field E/p, whose absolute value and range of variation are shown to depend on the plasma generation parame ters (in particular, on the external magnetic field configuration) and can be considerably greater than those obtained in the positive colum n of a de glowing discharge. Due to this, a microwave plasma in a magn etic field is one of the most promising vacuum-plasma methods for low- energy-consumption and highly selective treatment of materials used in microelectronics.