The Formation Mechanism Of Nonuniformity From 2d Nonlocal Particle-Dynamics In Capacitive Rf Discharges

Kinetic effects and nonlinear characteristics caused by multi-dimensional effects in capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) devices are reported using particle-in-cell (PIC) Monte-Carlo collision simulations. Many PIC simulations so far are limited to one-dimensional (1D) dynamics due to computational load, and the nonuniformity occurring in a direction parallel to the electrode cannot be reflected consequently. A two-dimensional (2D) PIC-MCC simulation based on a graphics processing unit is utilized to observe the variations in the spatial distribution that cannot be dealt with by 1D simulations. This simulation considers the pressure regime of the nonlocal electron kinetics. Contrary to the expectation that motions in the vertical direction to the electrode in a CCP dominate most of the particle dynamics, it was observed that electron heating in the horizontal direction around the electrode edge plays an important role. Accordingly, the change in the spatial distribution between the center of the CCP equipment and the peripheral region of the electrode edge has been analyzed by phase-resolved electron flux and power deposition to understand the principle of the formation of spatial nonuniformity.