Coupling of Plasma Chemistry, Vibrational Kinetics, Collisional-Radiative Models and Electron Energy Distribution Function Under Non-Equilibrium Conditions

The coupling between the electron energy distribution function (eedf) and the kinetics of vibrationally and electronically excited states is discussed. The first case study concerns the role of heterogeneous recombination in affecting the concentration of atomic hydrogen in RF plasmas, with consequences on eedf and negative ion formation. The coupling of eedf and a collisional-radiative model for atomic hydrogen is discussed for optically thin and thick plasmas, finding large differences in the creation of eedf plateaux. The last case study deals with a self-consistent coupling of eedf and kinetics of vibrationally and electronically excited states in CO2 cold plasmas emphasizing the role of pure vibrational mechanisms in the dissociation of CO2.