Analysis of the N2O dissociation by r.f. discharges in a plasma reactor

In-situ diagnostic measurements and reactor modeling have been used to study N2O dissociation by r.f. discharges. Measurements have been conducted at 1 Torr (i.e. 133.3 Pa) and at a r.f. power density from 4.5 to 22.7 mW/cm(2). We developed a complete reactor modeling involving an electrical discharge model coupled to a mass transfer model. Only an electrical discharge model accounting for the negative ion conversion from O- to NO- allowed a good coherence between measured and predicted power densities. The electron-N2O dissociation rates, obtained from the electrical model, are then used in the mass transfer model, including eight species [N2O, N-2, O-2, NO, NO2, N, O(P-3) and O(D-1)]. The corresponding results are in good agreement with the experimental results concerning the N-2 and O-2 productions and the N2O consumption. These results have particularly shown that N-2 and O-2 are the most abundant products (>10(14) molecules/cm(3)). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.