The self-consistent approach in cold plasma kinetics: From negative ion sources to molecular activation

Abstract

The paper collects and discusses the results obtained in the theoretical investigation of cold plasmas by using a state-to-state self-consistent kinetic approach, coupling chemistry and free electron kinetics. Examples are selected, not only to review the most recent advancements made in updating and extending the chemical model, but also to highlight the role played in all these systems by excited states, either vibrational or electronic, in affecting the plasma evolution in the discharge and in the post-discharge phases in different discharge configurations. The response of the kinetic simulation to the accuracy of the dynamical data describing the collisional processes, to the theoretical scheme adopted for the vibrational levels of molecules, and to the inclusion of the relevant dissociation channels, is discussed also in the light of the comparison with experiments for model validation.