MODELING AND NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF MICROWAVE-INDUCED IONIC TRANSPORT

A numerical model was developed to simulate and study microwave-induce d transport in ionic solids. The model is based on continuum equations , is very general, and could be applied to many materials. The assumpt ions, boundary conditions, initial conditions, and numerical technique s used in the model are described. Results are presented from a study of microwave driven defect transport in sodium chloride. Static, high- frequency, and quasistatic results show that ponderomotive rectificati on of vacancy fluxes will act to deplete the vacancies in a near-surfa ce region and will continue to pull vacancies to the surface through d iffusion kinetics. The ponderomotive driving force for this transport is characterized over a wide range of variable space. The magnitude of the driving force falls right in the range such that it can explain w hy microwave-enhanced mass transport is observed in some experimental cases but not in others. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S002 1-8979(98)02311-1].