Electron excitation rates and transport parameters in high-frequency N₂discharges

The electron energy distribution function, transport parameters and rate coefficients for excitation and ionisation in N 2 under the action of a uniform HF field were calculated by solving the Boltzmann equation together with a set of rate balance equations for the populations in the N x (X,v) vibrational levels. The treatment is restricted to situations in which the electrons do not lose appreciable energy during a cycle of field oscillation but applies to a broad range of applied frequencies, omega , bridging the gap between the limiting cases of few and many collisions per oscillation. The case of DC applied field previously investigated is obtained from the present formulation for omega =0. The effects of changes in omega and in vibrational excitation on the electron kinetics are investigated in detail, thus opening the way to firmly based theoretical interpretations of the properties of N 2 discharges sustained by HF fields.