Modeling Electron Beam Parameters and Plasma Interface Position in an Anode Plasma Electron Gun with Hydrogen Atmosphere

A beam glow discharge based electron gun can be applied as heater for silicon crystal growth systems in which silicon rods are pulled from melt. Impacts of high-energy charged particles cause wear and tear of the gun and generate an additional source of silicon contamination. A steady-state model for electron beam formation has been developed to model the electron gun and optimize its design. Description of the model and first simulation results are presented. It has been shown that the model can simulate dimensions of particle impact areas on the cathode and anode, but further improvements of the model are need ed to correctly simulate electron trajectory distribution in the beam and the beam current dependence on the applied gas pressure.