Two-dimensional modeling of a microcell plasma in a mixture of Ne/Xe driven by a capacitively coupled high-frequency source

The basic characteristics of a micro-cell plasma in a gas mixture sustained by a high-frequency voltage source with a ring-shaped electrode are descri bed in this article. The key to maintaining a microcell plasma is to reduce wall loss and increase plasma production. The advantage of a gas mixture o f Ne/Xe is the increase of the plasma production rate in a low electric fie ld compared to that in pure gas. As a result, a microcell plasma can be sus tained by a lower applied voltage by using a gas mixture of Ne/Xe under the same power condition as compared with that in pure Xe. (C) 2001 American I nstitute of Physics.