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A method for determining the electron temperature and electron density in a plasma is proposed that is based on minimization of the difference between the experimental relative intensities of the spectral argon (Ar) lines and those same intensities calculated with the aid of the collisional-radiative model. The model describes the kinetics of the ground state and 40 excited states of the Ar atom and takes into account the following processes: excitation and deactivation of the states of the atom by electron impact, radiative decay of the excited states, self-absorption of radiation, ionization of excited states by electron impact, and quenching of metastable states as a consequence of collisions with the chamber walls. Using the given method, we have investigated the plasma of a magnetron discharge on a laboratory setup for intermediate-frequency magnetron sputtering for a few selected operating regimes.

We have constructed a collisional-radiative (CR) model for W27+ ions including 226 configurations with n ≤ 9 and ł ≤ 5 for spectroscopic diagnostics. We newly include recombination processes in the model and this is the first result of extreme ultraviolet spectrum calculated for recombining plasma component. Calculated spectra in 40–70 Å range in ionizing and recombining plasma components show similar 3 strong lines and 1 line weak in recombining plasma component at 45–50 Å and many weak lines at 50–65 Å for both components. Recombination processes do not contribute much to the spectrum at around 60 Å for W27+ ion. Dielectronic satellite lines are also minor contribution to the spectrum of recombining plasma component. Dielectronic recombination (DR) rate coefficient from W28+ to W27+ ions is also calculated with the same atomic data in the CR model. We found that larger set of energy levels including many autoionizing states gave larger DR rate coefficients but our rate agree within factor 6 with other works at electron temperature around 1 keV in which W27+ and W28+ ions are usually observed in plasmas.

Our recently developed collisional-radiative model which included fine-structure cross sections calculated with a fully relativistic distorted-wave method [R.K. Gangwar, L. Sharma, R. Srivastava, A.D. Stauffer, J. Appl. Phys. 111, 053307 (2012)] has been extended to study non-Maxwellian inductively coupled argon plasmas. We have added more processes to our earlier collisional-radiative model by further incorporating relativistic distorted-wave electron impact cross sections from the 3p54sJ = 0, 2 metastable states, (1s3, 1s5 in Paschen’s notation) to the 3p55p (3pi) excited states. The population of various excited levels at different pressures in the range of 1–25 mTorr for an inductively coupled argon plasma have been calculated and compared with the recent optical absorption spectroscopy measurements as well as emission model results of Boffard et al. [Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 19, 065001 (2010)]. We have also calculated the intensities of two emission lines, 420.1 nm (3p9 → 1s5) and 419.8 nm (3p5 → 1s4) and compared with measured intensities reported by Boffard et al. [J. Phys. D 45, 045201 (2012)]. Our results are in good agreement with the measurements.

The collisional radiative models used in the modeling of beam emission spectroscopy diagnostics neglect atom–atom collisions because of a lack of sufficiently detailed atomic data. Filling this scantiness we performed a classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations to calculate the cross sections for various channels in collisions between H + H2 and Li + H2 for a wide range of projectile energies. Based on the calculated cross sections, a simplified version of the collisional radiative model has been derived. We show that the model is suitable to obtain the beam attenuation in neutral gases outside of the confined plasma region. A strong density dependence has been found for each beam species.

Accurate numerical modeling is prerequisite of predicting plasma behavior and understanding the complex physical and chemical processes in a plasma system. The evolution of nonequilibrium modeling of arcjet to its current state of development is traced, and some uncertainties in the way of further progress are discussed. It is demonstrated that the accuracy of two-temperature plasma transport coefficients can be improved by adopting more reasonable interatomic potentials. A comparison of the chemical kinetic rate coefficients for the same kinetic process shows some discrepancies, which further indicates that there exist some uncertainties on the inelastic cross sections obtained from experimental measurement or theoretic calculation. Application and extension of three-level atomic model of argon in nonequilibrium modeling are briefly reviewed, and the criteria required in the choice of chemical kinetic processes are discussed. The elementary processes involved in high velocity plasma flow can be investigated by collisional radiative model (CR model). The method of applying CR model on the analysis of nonequilibrium plasma processes in arcjet is presented as an example in some detail.

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum, Mill.) wood samples were exposed to the flowing afterglow of a N2 dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) open to ambient air. Freshly-sanded wood surfaces were hydrophilized by the treatment. The dynamic behaviour of water droplets on hardwood samples further reveals a volumetric effect of treatment as well as a modification of the topmost surface. Analysis of the discharge properties by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) indicates that the neutral gas temperature (determined from the rovibrational spectrum of N2) was close to room temperature, thus ruling out wood modification due to heat transfer. OES spectra combined with a collisional-radiative model also reveals significant concentration of metastable N2(A) states and UV photons (in particular those from the NOγ system in the 200–300 nm range) in the discharge. To better examine the role of UV irradiation, wood samples were exposed to the late afterglow of a low-pressure N2/O2 plasma optimized for UV emission from the NO systems. Wood hydrophilization was observed only for samples directly exposed to the late afterglow and not for those contained in a UV-transparent enclosure. Wood hydrophilization in the DBD is thus not directly related to UV irradiation; these energetic photons rather participate [along with N2(A) metastables] in the formation of other active species, in particular atomic oxygen and ozone due to the open-air configuration. The role of ozone was confirmed by treatments in an ozone generator, showing dynamic wettability comparable to the ones achieved after treatment in the flowing afterglows of the atmospheric-pressure N2 DBD and low-pressure N2–O2 plasma. FTIR spectra of wood samples treated in the three systems (DBD, N2–O2 plasma, and ozone generator) indicate an increased lignin content due to the possible development of lignin precipitates, corroborating the effect of atomic oxygen and ozone.

We describe a collisional radiative model (CRE) of homogeneously expanded nickel plasmas in vacuum. The CRE model is coupled with two separate electron and ion temperature magneto-hydrodynamic equations. On the output, the model provides the temporal variation of the electron temperature, ion temperature, and average charge state. We demonstrate the effect of three-body recombination $$({\propto}N_{\rm e} T^{-9/2}_{\rm e})$$ on plasma parameters, as it changes the time dependence of electron temperature from $$t^{-2}$$ to $$t^{-1}$$ and exhibits a pronounced effect leading to a freezing feature in the average charge state. In addition, the effect of the three-body recombination on the warm up of ions and delaying the equilibration is addressed.

A time-dependent collisional-radiative model for air plasma has been developed to study the effects of nonequilibrium atomic and molecular processes on population densities in a weakly ionized high enthalpy flow. This model consists of 15 species: \({{\rm e}^{-},{\rm N, N}^{+},{\rm N}^{2+},{\rm O, O}^{+},{\rm O}^{2+},{\rm O}^{-},{\rm N}_{2},{{\rm N}_{2}}^{+},{\rm NO, NO}^{+},{\rm O}_{2},{{\rm O}_{2}}^{+}}\), and \({{{\rm O}_{2}}^{-}}\) with their major electronic excited states. Many elementary processes are considered in the number density range of 1012/cm3 ≤ N ≤ 1019/cm3 and the temperature range of 300 K ≤ T ≤ 40,000 K. We then compare our results with an existing collisional-radiative code to validate our model. Additionally, the unsteady nature of pulsively heated air plasma is investigated. When the ionization relaxation time is of the same order as the time scale of a heating pulse, the effects of unsteady ionization are important for estimating air plasma states. From parametric computations, we determine the appropriate conditions for the collisional-radiative steady state, local thermodynamic equilibrium, and corona equilibrium models in that density and temperature range.

A new two-temperature chemical kinetics model for nitrogen plasmas is presented. The model is used together with the vibrationally-specific collisional-radiative model to study the effects of vibrational nonequilibrium distributions on the chemical composition of two-temperature atmospheric pressure nitrogen plasmas. It is found that over a wide range of conditions the vibrational levels follow Boltzmann distributions and that the vibrational temperature Tv is well approximated by gas temperature Tg at low electron number densities and by electron temperature Te at high electron number densities. This result suggests that simple kinetic models with two-temperature rate coefficients can be used to reliably model nonthermal plasmas. The calculation also yields a surprising result that, for a given constant gas temperature, the steady-state electron number density exhibits an S-shaped dependence on the electron temperature. This S-shaped behavior is caused by competing ionization, charge transfer reactions, two-body dissociative recombination, and three-body electron recombination reactions, and therefore is characteristic of molecular plasmas.

An investigation of cadmium-neon plasma in cylindrical axially homogeneouspositive column of a dc glow discharge at low and intermediate pressure ispresented. Electron impact excitation cross sections, heavy-particlecollision rate coefficients, and radiative decay rates for Cd–Nemixture have been assembled from the literature and summarized. Aself-consistent collisional-radiative model based on numerical solution ofthe electron Boltzmann equation coupled with a system of particle balanceequations for the electrons, excited atoms and ions, as well as the electronenergy balance equation, is developed. By this model, the electron energydistribution function, mean energy, electron density, electron mobility, anddiffusion coefficient, populations of Cd and Ne excited states and theapplied dc electric field are calculated. The populations of the excitedCd(5p3P0,1,2) atoms are measured using opticalabsorption spectroscopy. From these measurements the effective lifetime ofthe resonance state Cd(5p3P1) and the diffusioncoefficients of both metastable states Cd(5p3P0) andCd(5p3P2) are determined. The electron density isderived by probes measurements. The influence of the Cd vapor pressure anddischarge current on the main plasma characteristics is studied. Modelpredictions compare favorably with measured electron density and populationsof excited states in a wide range of discharge conditions.

A collisional-radiative model was used to study the kinetics of an atmospheric pressure helium discharge. The electron kinetics was obtained from a two-term solution of the Boltzmann equation with electron–electron collisions included. The distribution of the helium electronic excited states was compared to measured values and used to calculate excitation temperatures. The results show that a unique value of the excitation temperature cannot be used to characterize the whole electronic states distribution, because the plasma is not in local thermodynamical equilibrium under the conditions considered. Other calculated discharge parameters, such as the electron temperature, the maintenance electric field, the density of metastable atoms in the 2 3 S state, and the ion densities are presented and compared to experimental data when available.

Optical emission spectroscopic (OES) measurements are acquired by collecting absolute line and continuum emission from a hydrogen/methane plasma (300 sccm H2, 3 sccm CH4, 40–70 torr, 1600–3200 W) used for diamond deposition. The experimental results are used in tandem with numerical modeling to infer plasma parameters of interest. Numerical solutions for a microwave chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor are generated by coupling solutions of the Boltzmann equation and the electron energy equation to a collisional-radiative model (CRM). Results indicate that the electron-neutral free-free emission, which depends strongly on neutral density, electron density, and electron temperature, is the dominant source of continuum emission. All numerical solutions are found to be inconsistent with the experimentally measured continuum emission. A meaningful interpretation, however, is possible if the electron-H2 cross-section, used for calculating electron-neutral free-free continuum emission, is increased by between 4 and 20 above the momentum cross-section value. We believe that such an increase is justified because of enhanced energy exchange in electron-molecule interactions.

A collisional-radiative model of H- and He-like ions is constructed. The model allows a determination of excited-state population densities for arbitraryN e ,T e , and ion composition. The coefficientsr 0 andr 1, the collisional-radiative ionization and recombination coefficients for H-like ions and for the He-like ions F VIII and Mg XI are calculated. The methods of plasma diagnostics from the relative intensities of spectral lines are substantiated. It is indicated that the possibility of measuringN e from the resonance-to-intercombination line intensity ratio of a [He] ion is determined by the knowledge of the ion composition andT e .

Within the framework of the collisional-radiative model a model is developed that describes state distribution and radiative opacities of dense plasmas that can be generated with laser or ion beams. It takes into account deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium as well as non-ideality effects. Two-parameter atomic potentials are used and the Dirac equation is solved to obtain energies and wavefunctions. The influence of free electrons on the atomic potential is treated within the homogeneous free electron gas approximation. Results are presented for gold plasma including extinction coefficients forni=3·1020 cm−3,Te=100 eV and for photon energieshv=1-1500 eV.

Spatially resolved line intensity measurements from a plasma generated near ceramic surfaces have been performed. Disk-shaped helium plasmas of diameter 20 mm and thickness 0.9 mm have been studied in a pressure range of 2×103–105 Pa. On the basis of line intensity measurements and applying an appropriate collisional-radiative model for a helium plasma, the distributions of electron density and electron temperature have been evaluated.

In this paper the structure of air cluster by spectral line intensities is determined on the base of an unstationary collisional-radiative model. The ratio of filling gas and admixtures is stated. The dependence of cluster mass on the time delay of discharge after admitting of filling gas is calculated at known electron density and cluster volume.

Population densities of HeI and HeII excited states are calculated from a collisional radiative model for non-LTE optically thin helium plasmas. Effect of direct ionisation-excitation of HeI to HeII states on the population density of HeII states is shown. Relaxation times for HeI states calculated from the CR model is reported forT e from 3 to 18 eV andn e from 109 to 1016 cm−3.

It is shown that irradiation of a plasma by a Laser beam lowers the collisional-radiative coefficient for recombination (α) and increases the one for ionization (S) compared to unirradiated plasmas. Numerical values ofα andS are given for a hydrogen plasma irradiated by CO2, Ruby, and Ar-Ion Lasers. The calculations are based on a collisional-radiative model in which photoionization and stimulated recombination intervene. Stimulated recombination has an important effect and can lead to saturation of free-bound transitions at high power density of the Laser beam as long as multiphoton ionization effects and plasma heating by inverse bremsstrahlung remain negligibly small.

The recombination and ionization coefficients have been re-calculated on the basis of the collisional-radiative model. The numerical results obtained deviate from those published byBates, Kingston, andMcWhirter. The deviations reach a factor of about four for the recombination and a factor ten for the ionization coefficients. The smallest deviations occur in the recombination coefficients when the plasma is assumed to be optically thin in all transitions.