On the Characteristics of Coaxial-Type Microwave Excited Linear Plasma: a Simple Numerical Analysis

To unveil the characteristics and available propagation mechanism of coaxial-type microwave excited line-shape plasma, the effects of parameters including microwave power, work- ing pressure, dielectric constant, and external magnetic field on the plasma distribution were numerically investigated by solving a coupled system of Maxwell’s equations and continuity equa- tions. Numerical results indicate that high microwave power, relatively high working pressure, low dielectric constant, and shaped magnetic field profiles will help produce a high-density and uniform plasma source. Exciting both ends by microwave contributed to the high-density and uni- form plasma source as well. Possible mechanisms were analyzed by using the polarization model of low temperature plasma. The generation and propagation processes of the line-shape plasma mainly depend on the interaction of three aspects, i.e. the transmitted part, penetration part and absorptive part of the electromagnetic field. The numerical results were qualitatively consistent with available experimental results from literature. More elaborate descriptions of the three as- pects and corresponding interactions among them need to be investigated further to improve the properties of the line-shape plasma.