Particle-In-Cell Modeling of Capacitively Coupled Argon Discharges in a Wide Range of Frequencies*

Radio-frequency capacitively coupled discharges in argon were simulated in a wide range of frequencies using a one-dimensional Particle-In-Cell/ Monte Carlo Collision technique. The principal goal was to study the changes in electron heating modes with increase in RF frequency. The simulation results were compared with experimental data for a fixed voltage of 80 V (peak-to-peak) and frequencies ranging from 13.56 MHz to 57 MHz. At 50 mTorr, a bi-Maxwellian energy distribution function was observed at the center of the domain. The frequency dependence of centerline electron number density and the effective electron temperature obtained by integrating the distribution function were compared to experimental results and a matching trend was observed.