Electrical Characteristics of the GEC Reference Cell with Impedance Matching: A Two-Dimensional PIC/MCC Modeling Study

Abstract

In this paper, the electrical characteristics of the Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC) reference cell with impedance matching are investigated through a two-dimensional electrostatic implicit Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision (PIC/MCC) model in an axisymmetric coordinate system. The coupling between the complex reactor geometry and the external circuit is included via an equivalent capacitance calculated from the electric energy density. The results of this model are compared with experimental measurements and other model calculations and show good agreement. This simulation obtains the plasma kinetics of the capacitively coupled discharge process at low pressure and detailed external circuit responses, including power transmission, reflection, and higher-order harmonics in the circuit, which provides important insights for impedance-matching design in semiconductor plasma processing.