Rotating spokes, potential hump and modulated ionization in radio frequency magnetron discharges

In this work, the transition from the gradient drift instability (GDI) into an m = 1 rotating spoke in the radio frequency magnetron discharge was studied by means of the two-dimensional axial-azimuthal (z − y) particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision method. The kinetic model combined with the linear analysis of the perturbation revealed that the cathode sheath (axial) electric field E _z triggers the GDI, deforming the local potential until the instability condition is not fulfilled and the fluctuation growth stops in which moment the instability becomes saturated. The potential deformation consequently leads to the formation of the potential hump, surrounding which the azimuthal electric field E _y is present. The saturation level of E _y was found to be synchronized with and proportional to the time-changing voltage applied at the cathode, resulting in the RF-modulation of the electron heating in the E _y due to ∇ B drift. In the saturated stage of the instability, it was shown that the rotation velocity and direction of the spoke present in the simulations agree well with the experimental observation (Panjan 2019 J. Appl. Phys. 125 203303). In the instability linear stage, the instability mode wavelength and the growth rate were also found to be in good agreement with the prediction of the GDI linear fluid theory.