PRESSURE DEPENDENCES OF ELECTRON-ENERGY DISTRIBUTION AND POWER DISSIPATION IN SYMMETRICAL RF DISCHARGES OF INERT-GASES

The plasma parameters, including the electron energy distribution func tion (EEDF). are measured with, a Langmuir probe in symmetrically capa citively coupled RF (13.56MHz) discharges of Ne, Ar and Xe over a rang e of gas pressures from 0.1 to 0.8 Torr, while keeping the RF current constant ai 150 mA. The EEDFs are Druyvesteyn-like for these discharge s. The average electron energy decreases with the gas pressure and the electron density increases. In bulk plasmas of respective gases, joul e heating is more dominant than stochastic heating and heating due to ion acceleration, except for low-pressure Ne discharges.