Numerical study of surface waves in plasma

Dense plasma can be produced by microwave (2.45 GHz) exited surface waves in a Plasmaline® plasma source. This configuration allows to generate large area plasmas (>1 m2) which are well suited for technological applications e.g. deposition of thin films, surface etching and cleaning in integrated circuit production, disinfection in medical applications or plasma treatment of waste gases. This work investigates the propagation and production of Argon (Ar) plasma in the aforementioned source numerically for cylindrical geometries. Self-consistent calculations are performed with COMSOL Multiphysics for the coupled electromagnetic field, plasma temperature and plasma density problem.