Boltzmann equation studies on electron swarm parameters for oxygen plasma by using electron collision cross–sections

Abstract EN

The Boltzmann transport equation has been solved using a two-term approximation method in pure electronegative gas oxygen to evaluate the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) and electron transport parameters for a wide range of E/N varying from 0.1 to 1000 Td (1 Td=10-17 V.cm2 ).

These parameters, are “electron drift velocity, mean electron energy, characteristic energy, diffusion coefficients, electron mobility, attachment and ionization coefficients, effective ionization coefficient and critical reduced electric field strength (E/N)crt”..The dependence of second kind collision (super-elastic collision) and electron energy distribution function on E/N are explained (where E is electric field and N is neutral number density).

The present calculated results are in good agreements as compared, with the previous experimental and theoretical results.

A group of electron/molecule collision (elastic and inelastic) cross-sections are collected for oxygen gas to evaluate transport parameters over the entire E/N range.

In addition, the energy lost by different types of electron/molecule collision processes are computed as a function of E/N.