Spectroscopic measurements and numerical simulations of the electrode plasma of an electrode microwave discharge in hydrogen

The structure of an electrode microwave discharge in hydrogen at pressures of 1-8 torr and incident powers of 20-100 W is studied using optical spectroscopy. A two-dimensional computer code is developed for self-consistently simulating a self-sustained steady-sate electrode microwave discharge ignited at the end of the inner conductor of a coaxial line. The model is based on simultaneously solving time-dependent Maxwell's equations, the balance equations for charged particles, and a homogeneous Boltzmann equation. The numerical results referring to the electrode region of the discharge are in fair agreement with the experimental data. This confirms the early suggestion (inferred from experimental data) of the combined 'self-sustained-non-self-sustained' character of the electrode discharge. It is shown that the self-sustained discharge domain is located in the electrode region of the discharge