Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2014

Publication Source

AIP Advances

Volume Number

4

Issue Number

1

Publisher

AIP Publishing

ISSN

2158-3226

Comments

© 2014 Author(s).. All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

This work was supported by NSF Grant PHY/DMR/1004881 and by a Jacob E Nyenhuis Faculty Development Grant from Hope College. Valuable input came from Prof. Peter Gonthier of Hope College. Significant insight was gained from the reviewer's comments.

Abstract

The microwave induced breakdown of N-2 gas in microgaps was modeled using the collision frequency between electrons and neutral molecules and the effective electric field concept. Low pressure breakdown at the threshold electric field occurs outside the gap, but at high pressures it is found to occur inside the microgap with a large threshold breakdown electric field corresponding to a very large electron oscillation amplitude. Three distinct pressure regimes are apparent in the microgap breakdown: a low pressure multipactor branch, a mid-pressure Paschen branch, both of which occur in the space outside the microgap, and a high pressure diffusion-drift branch, which occurs inside the microgap. The Paschen and diffusion-drift branches are divided by a sharp transition and each separately fits the collision frequency model. There is evidence that considerable electron loss to the microgap faces accompanies the diffusion-drift branch in microgaps. (C) 2014 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Keywords

Microplasma, Discharges, Field

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