Numerical modeling of plasmas in which nanoparticles nucleate and grow

Abstract

Dusty plasmas refer to a broad category of plasmas. Plasmas such as argon-silane plasmas in which particles nucleate and grow are widely used in semiconductor processing and nanoparticle manufacturing. In such dusty plasmas, the plasma and the dust particles are strongly coupled to each other. This means that the presence of dust particles significantly affects the plasma properties and vice versa. Therefore such plasmas are highly complex and they involve several interesting phenomena like nucleation, growth, coagulation, charging and transport. Dusty plasma afterglow is equally complex and important. Especially, residual charge on dust particles carries special significance in several industrial and laboratory situations and it has not been well understood. A 1D numerical model was developed of a low-pressure capacitively-coupled plasma in which nanoparticles nucleate and grow. Polydispersity of particle size distributions can be important in such plasmas. Sectional method, which is well known in aerosol literature, was used to model the evolving particle size and charge distribution. The numerical model is transient and one-dimensional and self consistently accounts for nucleation, growth, coagulation, charging and transport of dust particles and their effect on plasma properties. Nucleation and surface growth rates were treated as input parameters. Results were presented in terms of particle size and charge distribution with an emphasis on importance of polydispersity in particle growth and dynamics. Results of numerical model were compared with experimental measurements of light scattering and light emission from plasma. Reasonable qualitative agreement was found with some discrepancies. Pulsed dusty plasma can be important for controlling particle production and/or unwanted particle deposition. In this case, it is important to understand the behavior of the particle cloud during the afterglow following plasma turn-off. Numerical model was modified to self consistently simulate the dynamics and charging of particles during afterglow. It was found that dusty plasma afterglow is dominated by different time scales for electron and ion dynamics. Particle size and charge distribution changes significantly during the afterglow. Finally, a simplified chemistry model was included in dusty plasma numerical model to simulate the dynamics of argon-silane dusty plasma. The chemistry model treats silane dissociation and reactions of silicon hydrides containing up to two silicon atoms. The nucleation rate is equated to rate of formation of anions containing two Si atoms, and a heterogeneous reaction model is used to model particle surface growth. Evolution of particle size and concentration is explained and the importance of variable surface growth rate and nucleation rate is discussed.