Numerical techniques for gas discharge simulation

Summary form only given. A review is made of the types of numerical techniques and associated mathematical models that researchers have recently applied to gas-discharge simulation. Fluid or moment equations, particle simulations, kinetic calculations, and related approaches are included, with an emphasis on approaches that determine the electric field self-consistently via solutions of Poisson's equation. Most discharge simulations have been restricted to one spatial dimension, but discharges in practice, especially radiofrequency discharges, are at least two-dimensional. It is noted that extending self-consistent simulations to two dimensions is an important challenge facing discharge modelers. Opportunities and challenges lie ahead for modeling and simulation of very-low-pressure, magnetically confined plasmas. Other important frontiers include accounting for charged, electrostatically suspended particulates under certain processing conditions, and the numerical simulation issues surrounding discharges with large concentrations of negative ions.