Date of Award

Spring 1999

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Program/Concentration

Electrical Engineering

Committee Director

Ravindra P. Joshi

Committee Member

Karl H. Schoenbach

Committee Member

Linda Vahala

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.E55 C283

Abstract

The use of AC source plasma discharge devices in applications such as material processing and film deposition has increased in recent years due to improvements in discharge efficiency made possible by devices such as the micro hollow cathode. Designing hollow cathodes for specific applications requires an understanding of the processes that govern the discharge. Simulation is an inexpensive tool for understanding hollow cathode operation and optimizing the device for specific applications. This thesis describes the development of an AC micro hollow cathode simulator. It details the theoretical models used in the simulation and presents the results of test cases intended to validate the simulation. Simple DC test scenarios were also simulated to demonstrate the validity of the mathematical model and its numerical implementation. Simulations for the AC cases included calculations of the currents, device impedance, and phase shifts as a function of operating pressure, applied voltage, rf frequency, and the cathode hole diameter.

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In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/4hnp-e698

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