The influence of magnetic field gradient and electron beam injection modulation on capacitively coupled plasma

Abstract

This study explores the combined effects of electron beam (EB) injection and magnetic field gradients on argon capacitively coupled plasma driven by tailored voltage waveforms, using a one-dimensional implicit particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model. Simulation results show that applying a positive magnetic field gradient enhances plasma density and suppresses the asymmetry induced by EB injection and waveform excitation. As the gradient increases, electron confinement improves, leading to more localized ionization during the sheath expansion phase and a broader enhancement in plasma uniformity. In contrast, a negative magnetic field gradient intensifies density asymmetry by restricting the EB to the powered side, concentrating ionization near the injection region. Additionally, the ion energy distribution function (IEDF) becomes increasingly monoenergetic at the powered electrode, while the grounded electrode exhibits a multi-peaked profile due to sheath dynamics. These findings provide insights into magnetic-field-assisted control of plasma properties and offer promising strategies for tuning IEDF in plasma processing applications.