Modeling a metal-vapor buffer-gas hollow cathode discharge

The operation of a metal-vapor buffer-gas hollow cathode discharge is re-examined using modeling techniques that have been developed for electronegative plasma discharges. It is shown that a previously developed global model can be extended to give spatially resolved densities as well as more accurate values for the plasma parameters. A numerical calculation for a neon-copper (Ne-Cu) discharge is used to illustrate the results of the modeling technique. The density profiles of the neutral and ion components, and their variation with the buffer gas pressure, are similar to those found by numerical solution of the complete equations. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)06010-2].