Role of transverse magnetic field in the capacitive discharge

The influence of magnetic field on the plasma which is one of the oldest problems in plasma physics and remains of great interest in plasma fusion studies, recently has been an important problem in many plasma discharge used in processing semiconductor materials, because the application of a magnetic field results in enhancement of some desirable features of specific plasma sources. In this paper, the transverse magnetic field effects on the radio frequency capacitive discharge of low and intermediate gas pressure (1.33 Pa similar to 40.00 Pa) are reviewed to clarify the role of the magnetic field in the capacitive discharge. Lots of physical phenomena induced by transverse magnetic field, such as power dissipation mode transition, low energy electron heating/cooling, axial variation of electron density and temperature and E x B drift are presented and analyzed. This article is expected to provide qualitative insight to understand the role of magnetic field in the capacitive discharges. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.