Monte Carlo simulation of electron beam plasma in a silane-argon mixture

The Monte Carlo method was used for a first simulation of the energy- and space-dependent electron flux in a silane-argon mixture excited by an electron beam. The calculations cover the complete range of mixture composition. Results for the number of vibrationally excited, dissociated into neutral fragments, and ionized molecules of SiH 4 are presented for incident electron energies up to 1000 eV. This study shows that a change in the silane content of the mixture substantially modifies the excitation rates of various SiH 4 states at any spatial position along the beam axis.