Numerical Modeling of Electron Beams Accelerated by the Radio Frequency Boundary Sheath

The stochastic heating of electrons by the radio frequency boundary sheath in capacitively coupled plasmas is not completely understood or at least agreed upon by researchers. To aid in understanding this phenomena, a conceptually simple simulation of electron heating is presented. A fluid model is used to calculate the electric fields in the discharge, and a Monte Carlo simulation is used to calculate electron distribution functions. The plots of the density of energetic electrons are presented in this paper. They show electron beams that have been accelerated by the sheath.