Tailoring of electron energy distributions in low-pressure inductive discharges

Assuming a background Maxwellian electron distribution, the effects of adding an energetic tail upon the electron temperature and density in an inductive low-pressure argon discharge are investigated theoretically. The principal effect of the tail is to modify the rate constants for ionization, excitation, and momentum transfer. Using particle and energy conservation, the possibility of suppressing the electron temperature and increasing the electron density is demonstrated. It is found that under typical conditions of operation the electron temperature can be decreased from 2.5 to 1.5 eV, and the electron density increased by at least a factor of 2.4. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)04003-6].