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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Grainger College of Engineering
Electrical & Computer Engineering

ECE 523 - Gaseous Electronics and Plasmas

Spring 2021

Official Description

Course Information: Same as NPRE 527. See NPRE 527.

Subject Area

Microelectronics and Photonics

Course Director

J. Gary Eden

Description

Concepts and techniques, both theoretical and experimental, which are fundamental low temperature (nonequilibrium) plasmas and applications such as lighting, displays, gas lasers, and plasma materials processing are discussed.

Topics

  • Introduction: Basic concepts of plasmas and gaseous electronics, the dc discharge, cathode phenomena, negative glow, positive column
  • Elementary theory of gas discharges: Langevin equation; simple theory of conductivity, mobility and diffusion; equations of continuity, momentum conservation and energy conservation; energy balance, electron temperature and energy relaxation
  • Collisional and relaxation mechanisms: Elastic and inelastic cross sections and collision frequencies; electron-molecule scattering
  • Boltzmann equation: Electron energy distributions in weak and strong fields (Maxwellian, Druyvesteyn); comparison of exact and approximate theories and calculation of transport coefficients for model and practical cases; computer solutions
  • Rate processes in gas discharges: Ionization, diffusion, attachment, recombination; application to positive column theory; rate equations, equilibrium, and transient properties of gas discharges, ambipolar diffusion
  • Physics of the sheath
  • Diagnostics: Langmuir probes, interferometry, Thompson scattering
  • Plasma processing: Radio frequency (rf), microwave, electron cyclotron resonance and inductively coupled plasma systems, ion energy distributions, etching and deposition mechanisms
  • Lasers and high-pressure devices; example of the CO2 laser
  • Modeling of practical discharge systems

Detailed Description and Outline

Topics:

  • Introduction: Basic concepts of plasmas and gaseous electronics, the dc discharge, cathode phenomena, negative glow, positive column
  • Elementary theory of gas discharges: Langevin equation; simple theory of conductivity, mobility and diffusion; equations of continuity, momentum conservation and energy conservation; energy balance, electron temperature and energy relaxation
  • Collisional and relaxation mechanisms: Elastic and inelastic cross sections and collision frequencies; electron-molecule scattering
  • Boltzmann equation: Electron energy distributions in weak and strong fields (Maxwellian, Druyvesteyn); comparison of exact and approximate theories and calculation of transport coefficients for model and practical cases; computer solutions
  • Rate processes in gas discharges: Ionization, diffusion, attachment, recombination; application to positive column theory; rate equations, equilibrium, and transient properties of gas discharges, ambipolar diffusion
  • Physics of the sheath
  • Diagnostics: Langmuir probes, interferometry, Thompson scattering
  • Plasma processing: Radio frequency (rf), microwave, electron cyclotron resonance and inductively coupled plasma systems, ion energy distributions, etching and deposition mechanisms
  • Lasers and high-pressure devices; example of the CO2 laser
  • Modeling of practical discharge systems

Texts

M. A. Lieberman and A. J. Lichtenberg, Principles of Plasma Displays and Materials Processing, 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2005.

Class notes.

Last updated

2/13/2013