Numerical analysis of microwave propagation and interaction with plasma in surface-wave plasma

Summary form only given, as follows. In a surface-wave plasma using a planar (rectangular) configuration (Komachi, 1993) the surface wave is a 2.45 GHz electromagnetic field. Under the proper conditions, this surface wave propagates inside a chamber containing Ar gas, creating a cold nonmagnetized plasma with a plasma frequency (/spl omega//sub p/) several times higher than that of the surface wave and with a high electron density, i.e, about 10/sup 12/ [cm/sup -3/]. The surface wave energy is absorbed by the plasma maintaining a continuous plasma discharge. In this work, we use a novel finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD)/kinetic-equation formulation to simulate the surface wave propagation and electron distribution inside the plasma. The simulation results are found to be in good agreement with experimental results. It is found that provided the electron-neutron collision frequency V/sub c/ is greater than 10 /spl omega//sub p/, an electromagnetic wave can propagate inside the plasma with a small attenuation constant making it unnecessary to put an air gap and glass sheet between the dielectric medium and the plasma to create a uniform field distribution.