Hybrid modelling of low temperature plasmas for fundamental investigations and equipment design

The modelling of low temperature plasmas for fundamental investigations and equipment design is challenged by conflicting goals—having detailed, specialized algorithms which address sometimes subtle physical phenomena while also being flexible enough to address a wide range of process conditions. Hybrid modelling (HM) is a technique which provides many opportunities to address both fundamental physics and practical matters of equipment design. HM is a hierarchical approach in which modules addressing different physical processes on vastly disparate timescales are iteratively combined using time-slicing techniques. By compartmentalizing the physics in each module to accept given inputs and produce required outputs, different algorithms can be used to represent the same physical processes. In this manner, the algorithms best suited for the conditions of interest can be used without affecting other modules. In this paper, the basis and implementation of HM are discussed using examples from simulations of inductively coupled plasmas.