“Numerical investigation of particle formation mechanisms in silane discharges”. de Bleecker K, Bogaerts A, Gijbels R, Goedheer W, Physical review : E : statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics 69, 056409 (2004). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.69.056409
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.366
Times cited: 74
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.69.056409
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“Fluid simulation of the bias effect in inductive/capacitive discharges”. Zhang Y-R, Gao F, Li X-C, Bogaerts A, Wang Y-N, Journal of vacuum science and technology: A: vacuum surfaces and films 33, 061303 (2015). http://doi.org/10.1116/1.4928033
Abstract: Computer simulations are performed for an argon inductively coupled plasma (ICP) with a capacitive radio-frequency bias power, to investigate the bias effect on the discharge mode transition and on the plasma characteristics at various ICP currents, bias voltages, and bias frequencies. When the bias frequency is fixed at 13.56 MHz and the ICP current is low, e.g., 6A, the spatiotemporal averaged plasma density increases monotonically with bias voltage, and the bias effect is already prominent at a bias voltage of 90 V. The maximum of the ionization rate moves toward the bottom electrode, which indicates clearly the discharge mode transition in inductive/capacitive discharges. At higher ICP currents, i.e., 11 and 13 A, the plasma density decreases first and then increases with bias voltage, due to the competing mechanisms between the ion acceleration power dissipation and the capacitive power deposition. At 11 A, the bias effect is still important, but it is noticeable only at higher bias voltages. At 13 A, the ionization rate is characterized by a maximum at the reactor center near the dielectric window at all selected bias voltages, which indicates that the ICP power, instead of the bias power, plays a dominant role under this condition, and no mode transition is observed. Indeed, the ratio of the bias power to the total power is lower than 0.4 over a wide range of bias voltages, i.e., 0300V. Besides the effect of ICP current, also the effect of various bias frequencies is investigated. It is found that the modulation of the bias power to the spatiotemporal distributions of the ionization rate at 2MHz is strikingly different from the behavior observed at higher bias frequencies. Furthermore, the minimum of the plasma density appears at different bias voltages, i.e., 120V at 2MHz and 90V at 27.12 MHz.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 1.374
Times cited: 9
DOI: 10.1116/1.4928033
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“CO2conversion by plasma technology: insights from modeling the plasma chemistry and plasma reactor design”. Bogaerts A, Berthelot A, Heijkers S, Kolev S, Snoeckx R, Sun S, Trenchev G, Van Laer K, Wang W, Plasma sources science and technology 26, 063001 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/aa6ada
Abstract: In recent years there has been growing interest in the use of plasma technology for CO2 conversion. To improve this application, a good insight into the underlying mechanisms is of great importance. This can be obtained from modeling the detailed plasma chemistry in order to understand the chemical reaction pathways leading to CO2 conversion (either in pure form or mixed with another gas). Moreover, in practice, several plasma reactor types are being investigated for CO2 conversion, so in addition it is essential to be able to model these reactor geometries so that their design can be improved, and the most energy efficient CO2 conversion can be achieved. Modeling the detailed plasma chemistry of CO2 conversion in complex reactors is, however, very time-consuming. This problem can be overcome by using a combination of two different types of model: 0D chemical reaction kinetics models are very suitable for describing the detailed plasma chemistry, while the characteristic features of different reactor geometries can be studied by 2D or 3D fluid models. In the first instance the latter can be developed in argon or helium with a simple chemistry to limit the calculation time; however, the ultimate aim is to implement the more complex CO2 chemistry in these models. In the present paper, examples will be given of both the 0D plasma chemistry models and the 2D and 3D fluid models for the most common plasma reactors used for CO2 conversion in order to emphasize the complementarity of both approaches. Furthermore, based on the modeling insights, the paper discusses the possibilities and limitations of plasma-based CO2 conversion in different types of plasma reactors, as well as what is needed to make further progress in this field.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.302
Times cited: 26
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/aa6ada
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“Numerical analysis of the NO and O generation mechanism in a needle-type plasma jet”. Van Gaens W, Bruggeman PJ, Bogaerts A, New journal of physics 16, 063054 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/16/6/063054
Abstract: In this paper we study two cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets, operating in Ar + 2% air, with a different electrode geometry but with the same power dissipated in the plasma. The density profiles of the biomedically active NO and O species throughout the plasma jet, previously obtained by laser diagnostics, are calculated by means of a zero-dimensional semi-empirical reaction kinetics model. A good agreement between the calculated and measured data is demonstrated. Furthermore, the most probable spatial power distribution in an RF driven plasma jet is obtained for the first time by comparing measured and calculated species density profiles. This was possible due to the strong effect of the power distribution on the NO and O density profiles. In addition the dominant reaction pathways for both the NO and the O species are identified. The model allows us to obtain key information on the reactive species production inside the jet, which is difficult to access by laser diagnostics in a coaxial geometry. Finally, we demonstrate that water impurities in the order of 100 ppm in the gas feed can have a significant effect on the spatial distribution of the NO and O density.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.786
Times cited: 34
DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/16/6/063054
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“Effect of ambient pressure on laser ablation and plume expansion dynamics: a numerical simulation”. Chen Z, Bleiner D, Bogaerts A, Journal of applied physics 99, 063304 (2006). http://doi.org/10.1063/1.2182078
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.068
Times cited: 42
DOI: 10.1063/1.2182078
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“Laser ablation of Cu and plume expansion into 1 atm ambient gas”. Chen Z, Bogaerts A, Journal of applied physics 97, 063305 (2005). http://doi.org/10.1063/1.1863419
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.068
Times cited: 131
DOI: 10.1063/1.1863419
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“Modeling of chemical processes in the low pressure capacitive radio frequency discharges in a mixture of Ar/C2H2”. Ariskin DA, Schweigert IV, Alexandrov AL, Bogaerts A, Peeters FM, Journal of applied physics 105, 063305 (2009). http://doi.org/10.1063/1.3095760
Abstract: We study the properties of a capacitive 13.56 MHz discharge with a mixture of Ar/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub> taking into account the plasmochemistry and growth of heavy hydrocarbons. A hybrid model was developed to combine the kinetic description for electron motion and the fluid approach for negative and positive ion transports and plasmochemical processes. A significant change in plasma parameters related to injection of 5.8% portion of acetylene in argon was observed and analyzed. We found that the electronegativity of the mixture is about 30%. The densities of negatively and positively charged heavy hydrocarbons are sufficiently large to be precursors for the formation of nanoparticles in the discharge volume.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.068
Times cited: 21
DOI: 10.1063/1.3095760
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“Assessing neutral transport mechanisms in aspect ratio dependent etching by means of experiments and multiscale plasma modeling”. Vanraes P, Parayil Venugopalan S, Besemer M, Bogaerts A, Plasma Sources Science and Technology 32, 064004 (2023). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/acdc4f
Abstract: Since the onset of pattern transfer technologies for chip manufacturing, various strategies have been developed to circumvent or overcome aspect ratio dependent etching (ARDE). These methods have, however, their own limitations in terms of etch non-idealities, throughput or costs. Moreover, they have mainly been optimized for individual in-device features and die-scale patterns, while occasionally ending up with poor patterning of metrology marks, affecting the alignment and overlay in lithography. Obtaining a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ARDE and how to mitigate them therefore remains a relevant challenge to date, for both marks and advanced nodes. In this work, we accordingly assessed the neutral transport mechanisms in ARDE by means of experiments and multiscale modeling for SiO<sub>2</sub>etching with CHF<sub>3</sub>/Ar and CF<sub>4</sub>/Ar plasmas. The experiments revealed a local maximum in the etch rate for an aspect ratio around unity, i.e. the simultaneous occurrence of regular and inverse reactive ion etching lag for a given etch condition. We were able to reproduce this ARDE trend in the simulations without taking into account charging effects and the polymer layer thickness, suggesting shadowing and diffuse reflection of neutrals as the primary underlying mechanisms. Subsequently, we explored four methods with the simulations to regulate ARDE, by varying the incident plasma species fluxes, the amount of polymer deposition, the ion energy and angular distribution and the initial hardmask sidewall angle, for which the latter was found to be promising in particular. Although our study focusses on feature dimensions characteristic to metrology marks and back-end-of-the-line integration, the obtained insights have a broader relevance, e.g. to the patterning of advanced nodes. Additionally, this work supports the insight that physisorption may be more important in plasma etching at room temperature than originally thought, in line with other recent studies, a topic on which we recommend further research.
Keywords: A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;
Impact Factor: 3.8
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/acdc4f
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Bahnamiri OS, Verheyen C, Snyders R, Bogaerts A, Britun N (2021) Nitrogen fixation in pulsed microwave discharge studied by infrared absorption combined with modelling. 065007
Abstract: A pulsed microwave surfaguide discharge operating at 2.45 GHz was used for the conversion of molecular nitrogen into valuable compounds in several gas mixtures: N2 :O2 , N2 :O2 :CO2 and N2 :CO2 . The ro-vibrational absorption bands of the molecular species were monitored by a Fourier transform infrared apparatus in the post-discharge region in order to evaluate the relative number density of species, specifically NO production. The effects of specific energy input, pulse frequency, gas flow fraction, gas admixture and gas flow rate were studied for better understanding and optimization of the NO production yield and the corresponding energy cost (EC). By both the experiment and modelling, a highest NO yield is obtained at N2 :O2 (1:1) gas ratio in N2 :O2 mixture. The NO yield reveals a small growth followed by saturation when pulse repetition frequency increases. The energy efficiency start decreasing after the energy input reaches about 5 eV/molec, whereas the NO yield rises steadily at the same time. The lowest EC of about 8 MJ mol−1 corresponding to the yield and the energy efficiency of about 7% and 1% are found, respectively, in an optimum discharge condition in our case.
Keywords: A1 Journal Article;nitrogen fixation; pulsed microwave discharge; FTIR spectroscopy; discharge modelling; vibrational excitation; NO yield; energy cost; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;
Impact Factor: 3.302
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/abff0e
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“Importance of surface charging during plasma streamer propagation in catalyst pores”. Zhang Q-Z, Wang W-Z, Bogaerts A, Plasma sources science and technology 27, 065009 (2018). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/aaca6d
Abstract: Plasma catalysis is gaining increasing interest, but the underlying mechanisms are far from understood. Different catalyst materials will have different chemical effects, but in addition, they might also have different dielectric constants, which will affect surface charging, and thus the plasma behavior. In this work, we demonstrate that surface charging plays an important role in the streamer propagation and discharge enhancement inside catalyst pores, and in the plasma distribution along the dielectric surface, and this role greatly depends on the dielectric constant of the material. For εr50, surface charging causes the plasma to spread along the dielectric surface and inside the pores, leading to deeper plasma streamer penetration, while for εr>50 or for metallic coatings, the discharge is more localized, due to very weak surface charging. In addition, at εr=50, the significant surface charge density near the pore entrance causes a large potential drop at the sharp pore edges, which induces a strong electric field and results in most pronounced plasma enhancement near the pore entrance.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.302
Times cited: 13
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/aaca6d
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“CO2 conversion in a gliding arc plasma: 1D cylindrical discharge model”. Wang W, Berthelot A, Kolev S, Tu X, Bogaerts A, Plasma sources science and technology 25, 065012 (2016). http://doi.org/10.1088/0963-0252/25/6/065012
Abstract: CO 2 conversion by a gliding arc plasma is gaining increasing interest, but the underlying mechanisms for an energy-efficient process are still far from understood. Indeed, the chemical complexity of the non-equilibrium plasma poses a challenge for plasma modeling due to the huge computational load. In this paper, a one-dimensional (1D) gliding arc model is developed in a cylindrical frame, with a detailed non-equilibrium CO 2 plasma chemistry set, including the CO 2 vibrational kinetics up to the dissociation limit. The model solves a set of time- dependent continuity equations based on the chemical reactions, as well as the electron energy balance equation, and it assumes quasi-neutrality in the plasma. The loss of plasma species and heat due to convection by the transverse gas flow is accounted for by using a characteristic frequency of convective cooling, which depends on the gliding arc radius, the relative velocity of the gas flow with respect to the arc and on the arc elongation rate. The calculated values for plasma density and plasma temperature within this work are comparable with experimental data on gliding arc plasma reactors in the literature. Our calculation results indicate that excitation to the vibrational levels promotes efficient dissociation in the gliding arc, and this is consistent with experimental investigations of the gliding arc based CO 2 conversion in the literature. Additionally, the dissociation of CO 2 through collisions with O atoms has the largest contribution to CO 2 splitting under the conditions studied. In addition to the above results, we also demonstrate that lumping the CO 2 vibrational states can bring a significant reduction of the computational load. The latter opens up the way for 2D or 3D models with an accurate description of the CO 2 vibrational kinetics.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.302
Times cited: 3
DOI: 10.1088/0963-0252/25/6/065012
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“Similarities and differences between gliding glow and gliding arc discharges”. Kolev S, Bogaerts A, Plasma sources science and technology 24, 065023 (2015). http://doi.org/10.1088/0963-0252/24/6/065023
Abstract: In this work we have analyzed the properties of a gliding dc discharge in argon at atmospheric pressure. Despite the usual designation of these discharges as ‘gliding arc discharges’, it was found previously that they operate in two different regimes—glow and arc. Here we analyze the differences in both regimes by means of two dimensional fluid modeling. In order to address different aspects of the discharge operation, we use two models—Cartesian and axisymmetric in a cylindrical coordinate system. The obtained results show that the two types of discharges produce a similar plasma column for a similar discharge current. However, the different mechanisms of plasma channel attachment to the cathode could produce certain differences in the plasma parameters (i.e. arc elongation), and this can affect gas treatments applications.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.302
Times cited: 12
DOI: 10.1088/0963-0252/24/6/065023
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“Sputter-deposited Mg-Al-O thin films: linking molecular dynamics simulations to experiments”. Georgieva V, Saraiva M, Jehanathan N, Lebelev OI, Depla D, Bogaerts A, Journal of physics: D: applied physics 42, 065107 (2009). http://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/42/6/065107
Abstract: Using a molecular dynamics model the crystallinity of MgxAlyOz thin films with a variation in the stoichiometry of the thin film is studied at operating conditions similar to the experimental operating conditions of a dual magnetron sputter deposition system. The films are deposited on a crystalline or amorphous substrate. The Mg metal content in the film ranged from 100% (i.e. MgO film) to 0% (i.e. Al2O3 film). The radial distribution function and density of the films are calculated. The results are compared with x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses of experimentally deposited thin films by the dual magnetron reactive sputtering process. Both simulation and experimental results show that the structure of the MgAlO film varies from crystalline to amorphous when the Mg concentration decreases. It seems that the crystalline MgAlO films have a MgO structure with Al atoms in between.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.588
Times cited: 37
DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/42/6/065107
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“Characterization of a nitrogen gliding arc plasmatron using optical emission spectroscopy and high-speed camera”. Gröger S, Ramakers M, Hamme M, Medrano JA, Bibinov N, Gallucci F, Bogaerts A, Awakowicz P, Journal of physics: D: applied physics 52, 065201 (2019). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/aaefe4
Abstract: A gliding arc plasmatron (GAP), which is very promising for purification and gas conversion,
is characterized in nitrogen using optical emission spectroscopy and high-speed photography,
because the cross sections of electron impact excitation of N 2 are well known. The gas
temperature (of about 5500 K), the electron density (up to 1.5 × 10 15 cm −3 ) and the reduced
electric field (of about 37 Td) are determined using an absolutely calibrated intensified charge-
coupled device (ICCD) camera, equipped with an in-house made optical arrangement for
simultaneous two-wavelength diagnostics, adapted to the transient behavior of a GA channel
in turbulent gas flow. The intensities of nitrogen molecular emission bands, N 2 (C–B,0–0) as
well as N +
2 (B–X,0–0), are measured simultaneously. The electron density and the reduced
electric field are determined at a spatial resolution of 30 µm, using numerical simulation and
measured emission intensities, applying the Abel inversion of the ICCD images. The temporal
behavior of the GA plasma channel and the formation of plasma plumes are studied using a
high-speed camera. Based on the determined plasma parameters, we suggest that the plasma
plume formation is due to the magnetization of electrons in the plasma channel of the GAP by
an axial magnetic field in the plasma vortex.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.588
Times cited: 7
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/aaefe4
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“Simulation of an Ar/Cl2 inductively coupled plasma: study of the effect of bias, power and pressure and comparison with experiments”. Tinck S, Boullart W, Bogaerts A, Journal of physics: D: applied physics 41, 065207 (2008). http://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/41/6/065207
Abstract: A hybrid model, called the hybrid plasma equipment model, was used to study Ar/Cl(2) inductively coupled plasmas used for the etching of Si. The effects of substrate bias, source power and gas pressure on the plasma characteristics and on the fluxes and energies of plasma species bombarding the substrate were observed. A comparison with experimentally measured etch rates was made to investigate how the etch process is influenced and which plasma species mainly account for the etch process. First, the general plasma characteristics are investigated at the following operating conditions: 10% Ar 90% Cl(2) gas mixture, 5mTorr total gas pressure, 100 sccm gas flow rate, 250W source power, -200V dc bias at the substrate electrode and an operating frequency of 13.56MHz applied to the coil and to the substrate electrode. Subsequently, the pressure is varied from 5 to 80mTorr, the substrate bias from -100 to -300V and the source power from 250 to 1000W. Increasing the total gas pressure results in a decrease of the etch rate and a less anisotropic flux to the substrate due to more collisions of the ions in the sheath. Increasing the substrate bias has an effect on the energy of the ions bombarding the substrate and to a lesser extent on the magnitude of the ion flux. When source power is increased, it was found that, not the energy, but the magnitude of the ion flux is increased. The etch rate was more influenced by a variation of the substrate bias than by a variation of the source power, at these operating conditions. These results suggest that the etch process is mainly affected by the energy of the ions bombarding the substrate and the magnitude of the ion flux, and to a lesser extent by the magnitude of the radical flux.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.588
Times cited: 31
DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/41/6/065207
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“Defect healing and enhanced nucleation of carbon nanotubes by low-energy ion bombardment”. Neyts EC, Ostrikov K, Han ZJ, Kumar S, van Duin ACT, Bogaerts A, Physical review letters 110, 065501 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.065501
Abstract: Structural defects inevitably appear during the nucleation event that determines the structure and properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes. By combining ion bombardment experiments with atomistic simulations we reveal that ion bombardment in a suitable energy range allows these defects to be healed resulting in an enhanced nucleation of the carbon nanotube cap. The enhanced growth of the nanotube cap is explained by a nonthermal ion-induced graphene network restructuring mechanism.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 8.462
Times cited: 50
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.065501
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“Role of the thermophoretic force on the transport of nanoparticles in dusty silane plasmas”. de Bleecker K, Bogaerts A, Goedheer W, Physical review : E : statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics 71, 066405 (2005). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.71.066405
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.366
Times cited: 25
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.71.066405
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“Sputter deposition of MgxAlyOz thin films in a dual-magnetron device : a multi-species Monte Carlo model”. Yusupov M, Saraiva M, Depla D, Bogaerts A, New journal of physics 14, 073043 (2012). http://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/14/7/073043
Abstract: A multi-species Monte Carlo (MC) model, combined with an analytical surface model, has been developed in order to investigate the general plasma processes occurring during the sputter deposition of complex oxide films in a dual-magnetron sputter deposition system. The important plasma species, such as electrons, Ar+ ions, fast Ar atoms and sputtered metal atoms (i.e. Mg and Al atoms) are described with the so-called multi-species MC model, whereas the deposition of MgxAlyOz films is treated by an analytical surface model. Targetsubstrate distances for both magnetrons in the dual-magnetron setup are varied for the purpose of growing stoichiometric complex oxide thin films. The metal atoms are sputtered from pure metallic targets, whereas the oxygen flux is only directed toward the substrate and is high enough to obtain fully oxidized thin films but low enough to avoid target poisoning. The calculations correspond to typical experimental conditions applied to grow these complex oxide films. In this paper, some calculation results are shown, such as the densities of various plasma species, their fluxes toward the targets and substrate, the deposition rates, as well as the film stoichiometry. Moreover, some results of the combined model are compared with experimental observations. Note that this is the first complete model, which can be applied for large and complicated magnetron reactor geometries, such as dual-magnetron configurations. With this model, we are able to describe all important plasma species as well as the deposition process. It can also be used to predict film stoichiometries of complex oxide films on the substrate.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.786
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/14/7/073043
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“Insights into the limitations to vibrational excitation of CO2: validation of a kinetic model with pulsed glow discharge experiments”. Biondo O, Fromentin C, Silva T, Guerra V, van Rooij G, Bogaerts A, Plasma Sources Science &, Technology 31, 074003 (2022). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/ac8019
Abstract: Vibrational excitation represents an efficient channel to drive the dissociation of CO<sub>2</sub>in a non-thermal plasma. Its viability is investigated in low-pressure pulsed discharges, with the intention of selectively exciting the asymmetric stretching mode, leading to stepwise excitation up to the dissociation limit of the molecule. Gas heating is crucial for the attainability of this process, since the efficiency of vibration–translation (V–T) relaxation strongly depends on temperature, creating a feedback mechanism that can ultimately thermalize the discharge. Indeed, recent experiments demonstrated that the timeframe of V–T non-equilibrium is limited to a few milliseconds at ca. 6 mbar, and shrinks to the<italic>μ</italic>s-scale at 100 mbar. With the aim of backtracking the origin of gas heating in pure CO<sub>2</sub>plasma, we perform a kinetic study to describe the energy transfers under typical non-thermal plasma conditions. The validation of our kinetic scheme with pulsed glow discharge experiments enables to depict the gas heating dynamics. In particular, we pinpoint the role of vibration–vibration–translation relaxation in redistributing the energy from asymmetric to symmetric levels of CO<sub>2</sub>, and the importance of collisional quenching of CO<sub>2</sub>electronic states in triggering the heating feedback mechanism in the sub-millisecond scale. This latter finding represents a novelty for the modelling of low-pressure pulsed discharges and we suggest that more attention should be paid to it in future studies. Additionally, O atoms convert vibrational energy into heat, speeding up the feedback loop. The efficiency of these heating pathways, even at relatively low gas temperature and pressure, underpins the lifetime of V–T non-equilibrium and suggests a redefinition of the optimal conditions to exploit the ‘ladder-climbing’ mechanism in CO<sub>2</sub>discharges.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.8
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/ac8019
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“Two-dimensional particle-in cell/Monte Carlo simulations of a packed-bed dielectric barrier discharge in air at atmospheric pressure”. Zhang Y, Wang H-yu, Jiang W, Bogaerts A, New journal of physics 17, 083056 (2015). http://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/17/8/083056
Abstract: The plasma behavior in a parallel-plate dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is simulated by a two-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model, comparing for the first time an unpacked (empty) DBD with a packed bed DBD, i.e., a DBD filled with dielectric spheres in the gas gap. The calculations are performed in air, at atmospheric pressure. The discharge is powered by a pulse with a voltage amplitude of −20 kV. When comparing the packed and unpacked DBD reactors with the same dielectric barriers, it is clear that the presence of the dielectric packing leads to a transition in discharge behavior from a combination of negative streamers and unlimited surface streamers on the bottom dielectric surface to a combination of predominant positive streamers and limited surface discharges on the dielectric surfaces of the beads and plates. Furthermore, in the packed bed DBD, the electric field is locally enhanced inside the dielectric material, near the contact points between the beads and the plates, and therefore also in the plasma between the packing beads and between a bead and the dielectric wall, leading to values of $4\times {10}
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.786
Times cited: 22
DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/17/8/083056
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“Laser-induced plasmas from the ablation of metallic targets: the problem of the onset temperature, and insights on the expansion dynamics”. Bleiner D, Bogaerts A, Belloni F, Nassisi V, Journal of applied physics 101, 083301 (2007). http://doi.org/10.1063/1.2721410
Abstract: Laser-induced plasmas are transient systems rapidly aging in few nanoseconds of evolution. Time-of-flight spectrometry allowed studying initial plasma characteristics based on frozen translational degrees of freedom, hence overcoming intrinsic limitations of optical spectroscopy. Experimental ion velocity distributions were reconstructed as developed during the longitudinal plasma expansion. The obtained onset plasma temperatures are in the range of similar to 18-45 eV depending on the ablated metals. Also the ion angular spreads were found to be a function of ablated metal, e.g., the narrowest for Fe, the broadest for Al, due to different collisional coupling in the plasma population. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.068
Times cited: 31
DOI: 10.1063/1.2721410
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“Routes to increase the conversion and the energy efficiency in the splitting of CO2by a dielectric barrier discharge”. Ozkan A, Bogaerts A, Reniers F, Journal of physics: D: applied physics 50, 084004 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/aa562c
Abstract: Here, we present routes to increase CO2 conversion into CO using an atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharge. The change in conversion as a function of simple plasma parameters, such as power, flow rate, but also frequency, on-and-off power pulse, thickness and the chemical nature of the dielectric, wall and gas temperature, are described. By means of an in-depth electrical characterization of the discharge (effective plasma voltage, dielectric voltage, plasma current, number and lifetime of the microdischarges), combined with infrared analysis of the walls of the reactor, optical emission spectroscopy for the gas temperature, and mass spectrometry for the CO2 conversion, we propose a global interpretation of the effect of all the experimental parameters on the conversion and efficiency of the reaction.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.588
Times cited: 28
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/aa562c
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“How bead size and dielectric constant affect the plasma behaviour in a packed bed plasma reactor: a modelling study”. Van Laer K, Bogaerts A, Plasma sources science and technology 26, 085007 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/aa7c59
Abstract: Packed bed plasma reactors (PBPRs) are gaining increasing interest for use in environmental applications, such as greenhouse gas conversion into value-added chemicals or renewable fuels and volatile pollutant removal (e.g. NOx, VOC, K), as they enhance the conversion and energy efficiency of the process compared to a non-packed reactor. However, the plasma behaviour in a PBPR is not well understood. In this paper we demonstrate, by means of a fluid model, that the discharge behaviour changes considerably when changing the size of the packing beads and their dielectric constant, while keeping the interelectrode spacing constant. At low dielectric constant, the plasma is spread out over the full discharge gap, showing significant density in the voids as well as in the connecting void channels. The electric current profile shows a strong peak during each half cycle. When the dielectric constant increases, the plasma becomes localised in the voids, with a current profile consisting of many smaller peaks during each half cycle. For large bead sizes, the shift from full gap discharge to localised discharges takes place at a higher dielectric constant than for smaller beads. Furthermore, smaller beads or beads with a lower dielectric constant require a higher breakdown voltage to cause plasma formation.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.302
Times cited: 22
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/aa7c59
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“The influence of impurities on the performance of the dielectric barrier discharge”. Martens T, Bogaerts A, Brok WJM, van Dijk J, Applied physics letters 96, 091501 (2010). http://doi.org/10.1063/1.3327800
Abstract: In this letter, we investigate the effect of various levels of nitrogen impurity on the electrical performance of an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in helium. We illustrate the different current profiles that are obtained, which exhibit one or more discharge pulses per half cycle and evaluate their performance in ionizing the discharge and dissipating the power. It is shown that flat and broad current profiles perform the best in ionizing the discharge and use the least amount of power per generated charged particle.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.411
Times cited: 28
DOI: 10.1063/1.3327800
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“Atomic-scale simulations of reactive oxygen plasma species interacting with bacterial cell walls”. Yusupov M, Neyts EC, Khalilov U, Snoeckx R, van Duin ACT, Bogaerts A, New journal of physics 14, 093043 (2012). http://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/14/9/093043
Abstract: In recent years there has been growing interest in the use of low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasmas for biomedical applications. Currently, however, there is very little fundamental knowledge regarding the relevant interaction mechanisms of plasma species with living cells. In this paper, we investigate the interaction of important plasma species, such as O3, O2 and O atoms, with bacterial peptidoglycan (or murein) by means of reactive molecular dynamics simulations. Specifically, we use the peptidoglycan structure to model the gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus murein. Peptidoglycan is the outer protective barrier in bacteria and can therefore interact directly with plasma species. Our results demonstrate that among the species mentioned above, O3 molecules and especially O atoms can break important bonds of the peptidoglycan structure (i.e. CO, CN and CC bonds), which subsequently leads to the destruction of the bacterial cell wall. This study is important for gaining a fundamental insight into the chemical damaging mechanisms of the bacterial peptidoglycan structure on the atomic scale.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.786
Times cited: 47
DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/14/9/093043
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“Calculation of gas heating in a dc sputter magnetron”. Kolev I, Bogaerts A, Journal of applied physics 104, 093301 (2008). http://doi.org/10.1063/1.2970166
Abstract: The effect of gas heating in laboratory sputter magnetrons is investigated by means of numerical modeling. The model is two-dimensional in the coordinate space and three-dimensional in the velocity space based on the particle-in-cellMonte Carlo collisions technique. It is expanded in a way that allows the inclusion of the neutral plasma particles (fast gas atoms and sputtered atoms), which makes it possible to calculate the gas temperature and its influence on the discharge behavior in a completely self-consistent way. The results of the model are compared to experimental measurements and to other existing simulation results. The results show that gas heating is pressure dependent (rising with the increase in the gas pressure) and should be taken into consideration at pressures above 10 mTorr.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.068
Times cited: 19
DOI: 10.1063/1.2970166
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“Short-pulse laser absorption in very steep plasma density gradients”. Cai H-bo, Yu W, Zhu S-ping, Zheng C-yang, Cao L-hua, Li B, Chen ZY, Bogaerts A, Physics of plasmas 13, 094504 (2006). http://doi.org/10.1063/1.2354583
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.115
Times cited: 17
DOI: 10.1063/1.2354583
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“The effect of H2O on the vibrational populations of CO2in a CO2/H2O microwave plasma: a kinetic modelling investigation”. Verheyen C, Silva T, Guerra V, Bogaerts A, Plasma Sources Science &, Technology 29, 095009 (2020). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/aba1c8
Abstract: Plasma has been studied for several years to convert CO2 into value-added products. If CO2 could be converted in the presence of H2O as a cheap H-source for making syngas and oxygenates, it would mimic natural photosynthesis. However, CO2/H2O plasmas have not yet been extensively studied, not by experiments, and certainly not computationally. Therefore, we present here a kinetic modelling study to obtain a greater understanding of the vibrational kinetics of a CO2/H2O microwave plasma. For this purpose, we first created an electron impact cross section set for H2O, using a swarm-derived method. We added the new cross section set and CO2/H2O-related chemistry to a pure CO2 model. While it was expected that H2O addition mainly causes quenching of the CO2 asymmetric mode vibrational levels due to the additional CO2/H2O vibrational-translational relaxation, our model shows that the modifications in the vibrational kinetics are mainly induced by the strong electron dissociative attachment to H2O molecules, causing a reduction in electron density, and the corresponding changes in the input of energy into the CO2 vibrational levels by electron impact processes.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.8
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/aba1c8
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“The 2021 release of the Quantemol database (QDB) of plasma chemistries and reactions”. Tennyson J, Mohr S, Hanicinec M, Dzarasova A, Smith C, Waddington S, Liu B, Alves LL, Bartschat K, Bogaerts A, Engelmann SU, Gans T, Gibson AR, Hamaguchi S, Hamilton KR, Hill C, O’Connell D, Rauf S, van ’t Veer K, Zatsarinny O, Plasma Sources Science &, Technology 31, 095020 (2022). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/ac907e
Abstract: The Quantemol database (QDB) provides cross sections and rates of processes important for plasma models; heavy particle collisions (chemical reactions) and electron collision processes are considered. The current version of QDB has data on 28 917 processes between 2485 distinct species plus data for surface processes. These data are available via a web interface or can be delivered directly to plasma models using an application program interface; data are available in formats suitable for direct input into a variety of popular plasma modeling codes including HPEM, COMSOL, ChemKIN, CFD-ACE+, and VisGlow. QDB provides ready assembled plasma chemistries plus the ability to build bespoke chemistries. The database also provides a Boltzmann solver for electron dynamics and a zero-dimensional model. Thesedevelopments, use cases involving O<sub>2</sub>, Ar/NF<sub>3</sub>, Ar/NF<sub>3</sub>/O<sub>2</sub>, and He/H<sub>2</sub>O/O<sub>2</sub>chemistries, and plans for the future are presented.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.8
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/ac907e
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“Investigation of etching and deposition processes of Cl2/O2/Ar inductively coupled plasmas on silicon by means of plasmasurface simulations and experiments”. Tinck S, Boullart W, Bogaerts A, Journal of physics: D: applied physics 42, 095204 (2009). http://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/42/9/095204
Abstract: In this paper, a simulation method is described to predict the etching behaviour of Cl2/O2/Ar inductively coupled plasmas on a Si substrate, as used in shallow trench isolation for the production of electronic devices. The hybrid plasma equipment model (HPEM) developed by Kushner et al is applied to calculate the plasma characteristics in the reactor chamber and two additional Monte Carlo simulations are performed to predict the fluxes, angles and energy of the plasma species bombarding the Si substrate, as well as the resulting surface processes such as etching and deposition. The simulations are performed for a wide variety of operating conditions such as gas composition, chamber pressure, power deposition and substrate bias. It is predicted by the simulations that when the fraction of oxygen in the gas mixture is too high, the oxidation of the Si substrate is superior to the etching of Si by chlorine species, resulting in an etch rate close to zero as is also observed in the experiments.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.588
Times cited: 23
DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/42/9/095204
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