Abstract: Supersonic flows provide a high thermodynamic
nonequilibrium, which is crucial for energy-efficient conversion of
CO 2 in microwave plasmas and are therefore of great interest.
However, the effect of the flow on the chemical reactions is poorly
understood. In this work, we present a combined flow and plasma
chemical kinetics model of a microwave CO 2 plasma in a Laval
nozzle setup. The effects of the flow field on the different dissociation
and recombination mechanisms, the vibrational distribution, and the
vibrational transfer mechanism are discussed. In addition, the effect
of experimental parameters, like position of power deposition, outlet
pressure, and specific energy input, on the CO 2 conversion and
energy efficiency is examined. The short residence time of the gas in
the plasma region, the shockwave, and the maximum critical heat,
and thus power, that can be added to the flow to avoid thermal
choking are the main obstacles to reaching high energy efficiencies.

Abstract: A hybrid Monte Carlofluid model is applied to simulate the wafer-temperature-dependent etching of silicon with SF6 inductively coupled plasmas (ICP). The bulk plasma within the ICP reactor volume as well as the surface reactions occurring at the wafer are self-consistently described. The calculated etch rates are validated by experiments. The calculations and experiments are performed at two different wafer temperatures, i.e. 300 and 173 K, resembling conventional etching and cryoetching, respectively. In the case of cryoetching, a physisorbed SFx layer (x = 06) is formed on the wafer, which is negligible at room temperature, because of fast thermal desorption, However, even in the case of cryoetching, this layer can easily be disintegrated by low-energy ions, so it does not affect the etch rates. In the investigated pressure range of 19 Pa, the etch rate is always slightly higher at cryogenic conditions, both in the experiments and in the model, and this could be explained in the model due to a local cooling of the gas above the wafer, making the gas denser and increasing the flux of reactive neutrals, like F and F2, towards the wafer.

Abstract: A two-dimensional self-consistent fluid model combined with the full set of Maxwell equations is employed to investigate an Ar/CF4 capacitively coupled plasma, focusing on the phase-shift effect on the plasma characteristics at various frequencies and gas mixture ratios. When the discharge is sustained by a single frequency at 13.56 MHz in an Ar/CF4 mixture with a ratio of 0.9/0.1, no obvious difference is detected between the electron densities obtained in the so-called electrostatic model (with only the static electric fields taken into account) and the electromagnetic model (which includes the electromagnetic effects). However, as the frequency increases to 60 and 100 MHz, the difference becomes distinct, due to the significant influence of the electromagnetic effects. The phase-shift effect on the plasma radial uniformity has also been investigated in a dual frequency discharge, i.e. when the top driven source is switched on with a phase difference phiv ranging from 0 to π, in the frequency range 13.56100 MHz. At low concentration of CF4 (10%), Ar+ ions are the major positive ions in the entire range of frequencies. When the frequency is low, i.e. 13.56 MHz, the Ar+ density exhibits an off-axis peak at phiv = 0 due to the edge effect, and a better uniformity caused by the phase-shift modulation is obtained at phiv = π. At 60 MHz, the Ar+ density varies from edge-peaked at phiv = 0 to uniform (i.e. at phiv = 0.53π), and finally at phiv = π, a broad maximum is observed at the centre due to the standing-wave effect. As the frequency increases to 100 MHz, the best radial uniformity is reached at 0.25π, and the maximum moves again towards the radial wall in the reverse-phase case (phiv = π) due to the dominant skin effect. When the frequency is fixed at 100 MHz, the phase-shift control shows a different behaviour at a high concentration of CF4. For instance, the ${\rm CF}_3

Abstract: While plasma treatment of skin diseases and wound healing has been proven highly effective, the underlying mechanisms, and more generally the effect of plasma radicals on skin tissue, are not yet completely understood. In this paper, we perform ReaxFF-based reactive molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the interaction of plasma generated OH radicals with a model system composed of free fatty acids, ceramides, and cholesterol molecules. This model system is an approximation of the upper layer of the skin (stratum corneum). All interaction mechanisms observed in our simulations are initiated by H-abstraction from one of the ceramides. This reaction, in turn, often starts a cascade of other reactions, which eventually lead to the formation of aldehydes, the dissociation of ceramides or the elimination of formaldehyde, and thus eventually to the degradation of the skin barrier function.

Abstract: A modelling study is performed of high-density low-pressure inductively coupled CF4/CHF3/H2/Cl2/O2/HBr plasmas under different gas mixing ratios. A reaction set describing the complete plasma chemistry is presented and discussed. The gas fraction of each component in this mixture is varied to investigate the sensitivity of the plasma properties, like electron density, plasma potential and species densities, towards the gas mixing ratios. This research is of great interest for microelectronics applications because these gases are often combined in two (or more)-component mixtures, and mixing gases or changing the fraction of a gas can sometimes yield unwanted reaction products or unexpected changes in the overall plasma properties due to the increased chemical complexity of the system. Increasing the CF4 fraction produces more F atoms for chemical etching as expected, but also more prominently lowers the density of Cl atoms, resulting in an actual drop in the etch rate under certain conditions. Furthermore, CF4 decreases the free electron density when mixed with Cl2. However, depending on the other gas components, CF4 gas can also sometimes enhance free electron density. This is the case when HBr is added to the mixture. The addition of H2 to the gas mixture will lower the sputtering process, not only due to the lower overall positive ion density at higher H2 fractions, but also because more H+, H2 + and H3 + are present and they have very low sputter yields. In contrast, a larger Cl2 fraction results in more chemical etching but also in less physical sputtering due to a smaller abundance of positive ions. Increasing the O2 fraction in the plasma will always lower the etch rate due to more oxidation of the wafer surface and due to a lower plasma density. However, it is also observed that the density of F atoms can actually increase with rising O2 gas fraction. This is relevant to note because the exact balance between fluorination and oxidation is important for fine-tuning the overall etch rate and for control of the sidewall profile. Finally, HBr is often used as a chemical etcher, but when mixed with F- or Cl-containing gases, HBr creates the same diluting effects as Ar or He, because a
higher fraction results in less chemical etching but more (physical) sputtering.

Abstract: Experiments show that the etch rate of Si with SF6 inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is significantly influenced by the absolute gas flow rate in the range of 50–600 sccm, with a maximum at around 200 sccm. Therefore, we numerically investigate the effects of the gas flow rate on the bulk plasma properties and on the etch rate, to obtain more insight in the underlying reasons of this effect. A hybrid Monte Carlo—fluid model is applied to simulate an SF6 ICP. It is found that the etch rate is influenced by two simultaneous effects: (i) the residence time of the gas and (ii) the temperature profile of the plasma in the ICP volume, resulting indeed in a maximum etch rate at 200 sccm.

Abstract: Bacteria can be inactivated through various physical and chemical means, and these have always been the focus of extensive research. To further improve the methodology for these ends, two types of plasma systems were investigated: nano-second pulsed plasma (NPP) as liquid discharge plasma and an Argon gas-feeding dielectric barrier discharge (Ar-DBD) as a form of surface plasma. To understand the sterilizing action of these two different plasma sources, we performed experiments with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria (wild type) and multidrug resistant bacteria (Penicillum-resistant, Methicillin-resistant and Gentamicin-resistant). We observed that both plasma sources can inactivate both the wild type and multidrug-resistant bacteria to a good extent. Moreover, we observed a change in the surface morphology, gene expression and β-lactamase activity. Furthermore, we used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the variation in functional groups (C-H/C-C, C-OH and C=O) of the peptidoglycan (PG) resulting from exposure to plasma species. To obtain atomic scale insight in the plasma-cell interactions and support our experimental observations, we have performed molecular dynamics simulations to study the effects of plasma species, such as OH, H2O2, O, O3, as well as O2 and H2O, on the dissociation/formation of above mentioned functional groups in PG.

Abstract: In this paper, an overview is given of different modeling approaches used for describing gas discharge plasmas, as well as plasma-surface interactions. A fluid model is illustrated for describing the detailed plasma chemistry in capacitively coupled rf discharges. The strengths and limitations of Monte Carlo simulations and of a particle-in-cell-Monte Carlo collisions model are explained for a magnetron discharge, whereas the capabilities of a hybrid Monte Carlo-fluid approach are illustrated for a direct current glow discharge used for spectrochemical analysis of materials. Finally, some examples of molecular dynamics simulations, for the purpose of plasma-deposition, are given.

Abstract: In this theoretical study, the electron emission from a copper surface under ultrashort pulsed laser irradiation is investigated using a one-dimensional particle in cell model. Thermionic emission as well as multiphoton photoelectron emission were taken into account. The emitted electrons create a negative space charge above the target; consequently the generated electric field reduces the electron emission by several orders of magnitude. The simulations indicate that the space charge effect should be considered when investigating electron emission related phenomena in materials under ultrashort pulsed laser irradiation of metals.

Abstract: The use of renewable energy (RE) to transform carbon dioxide into commodities (i.e., CO2 valorization) will pave the way towards a more sustainable economy in the coming years. But how can we efficiently use this energy (mostly available as electricity or solar light) to drive the necessary (catalytic) transformations? This paper presents a review of the technological advances in the transformation of carbon dioxide by means of RE. The socioeconomic implications and chemical basis of the transformation of carbon dioxide with RE are discussed. Then a general view of the use of RE to activate the (catalytic) transformations of carbon dioxide with microwaves, plasmas, and light is presented. The fundamental phenomena involved are introduced from a catalytic and reaction device perspective to present the advantages of this energy form as well as the inherent limitations of the present state-of-the-art. It is shown that efficient use of RE requires the redesign of current catalytic concepts. In this context, a new kind of reaction system, an energy-harvesting device, is proposed as a new conceptual approach for this endeavor. Finally, the challenges that lie ahead for the efficient and economical use of RE for carbon dioxide conversion are exposed.

Abstract: This work proposes to use core-shell structured spheres to evaluate whether it allows to individually optimize bulk and surface effects of a packing material, in order to optimize conversion and energy efficiency. Different core-shell materials have been prepared by spray coating, using dense spheres (as core) and powders (as shell) of SiO2, Al2O3, and BaTiO3. The materials are investigated for their performance in CO2 dissociation and compared against a benchmark consisting of a packed-bed reactor with the pure dense spheres, as well as an empty reactor. The results in terms of CO2 conversion and energy efficiency show various interactions between the core and shell material, depending on their combination. Al2O3 was found as the best core material under the applied conditions here, followed by BaTiO3 and SiO2, in agreement with their behaviour for the pure spheres. Applying a thin shell layer on the cores showed equal performance between the different shell materials. Increasing the layer thickness shifts this behaviour, and strong combination effects were observed depending on the specific material. Therefore, this method of core-shell spheres has the potential to allow tuning of the packing properties more closely to the application by designing an optimal combination of core and shell.

Abstract: We use microkinetic modeling to examine the potential of plasma-catalytic partial oxidation (POX) of CH4 as a promising new approach to produce oxygenates. We study how different plasma species affect POX of CH4 on the Pt(111) surface, and we discuss the associated kinetic and mechanistic changes. We discuss the effect of vibrationally excited CH4 and O2, as well as plasma-generated radicals and stable intermediates. Our results show that vibrational excitation enhances the turnover frequency (TOF) of catalytic CH4 dissociation and has good potential for improving the selectivities toward CH3OH, HCOOH, and C2 hydrocarbons. Nevertheless, when also considering plasma-generated radicals, we find that these species mainly govern the surface chemistry. Additionally, we find that plasma-generated radicals and stable intermediates enhance the TOFs of COx and oxygenates, increase the selectivity toward oxygenates, and make the formation of HCOOH more significant on Pt(111). We also briefly illustrate the potential impact of Eley−Rideal reactions that involve plasma-generated radicals. Finally, we reveal how various radicals affect the catalyst surface chemistry and we link this to the formation of different products. This allows us to make suggestions on how the plasma composition should be altered to improve the formation of desired products.

Abstract: We studied the evolution of an isolated pulsed plasma in a vortex flow stabilised microwave (MW) discharge in N2 at 25 mbar via the combination of 0D kinetics modelling, iCCD imaging and laser scattering diagnostics. Quenching of electronically excited N2 results in fast gas heating and the onset of a thermal-ionisation instability, contracting the discharge volume. The onset of a thermal-ionisation instability driven by vibrational excitation pathways is found to facilitate significantly higher N2 conversion (i.e. dissociation to atomic N2 ) compared to pre-instability conditions, emphasizing the potential utility of this dynamic in future fixation applications. The instability onset is found to be instigated by super-elastic heating of the electron energy distribution tail via vibrationally excited N2 . Radial contraction of the discharge to the skin depth is found to occur post instability, while the axial elongation is found to be temporarily contracted during the thermal instability onset. An increase in power reflection during the thermal instability onset eventually limits the destabilising effects of exothermic electronically excited N2 quenching. Translational and vibrational temperature reach a quasi-non-equilibrium after the discharge contraction, with translational temperatures reaching ∼1200 K at the pulse end, while vibrational temperatures are found in near equilibrium with the electron energy (1 eV, or ∼11 600 K). This first description of the importance of electronically excited N2 quenching in thermal instabilities gives an additional fundamental understanding of N2 plasma behaviour in pulsed MW context, and thereby brings the eventual implementation of this novel N2 fixation method one step closer.