Numerical Simulation of Atomic Nitrogen Formation in Plasma of Glow Discharge in Nitrogen-Argon Mixture

We consider the problem of determining the content of atomic nitrogen as an active component responsible for the efficiency of metal surface modification in plasma of stationary low-pressure glow discharge in nitrogen-argon mixture (widely used in this technology). The influence of the gas mixture composition on the rate constant of molecular nitrogen dissociation, which determines the atomic nitrogen production, has been calculated, The parameters of plasma have been experimentally determined using the method of double probes. The electron energy distribution function is found by numerically integrating the Boltzmann equation in a two-term approximation for the molecular nitrogen-argon mixture.