Resonantly Driven Electron Bernstein Waves in Magnetized Low-Pressure Capacitive Discharges

Abstract

The physics of capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) discharges is investigated in a mildly magnetized regime, defined by $1 \le f_{ce}/f_{rf} < 2$, where $f_{ce}$ and $f_{rf}$ denote the electron cyclotron frequency and the applied radio-frequency (RF), respectively. A distinctive feature of this regime is the excitation of electron Bernstein waves (EBWs) that propagate into the bulk plasma. As the applied magnetic field increases, notable changes in the discharge characteristics occur, with EBWs observed to propagate along the plasma density gradient inside the bulk. The underlying physics of CCP operation in this regime is analyzed in detail using particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collisions (PIC-MCC) simulations.