Neutral gas depletion in low temperature plasma

Neutral depletion can significantly affect the steady state of low temperature plasmas. Processes that lead to neutral depletion and the resulting plasma-neutrals steady state are reviewed. Two such processes are due to collisions of neutrals with plasma. One process is the drag by ions that collide with neutrals and push them towards the wall. Another process is neutral-gas heating by collisions with plasma that makes the gas hotter at the discharge center. These processes, which usually occur under (static) pressure balance between plasma and neutrals, are called here 'neutral pumping'. When collisions are negligible, neutrals that move ballistically between the chamber walls are depleted through ionization, a process called here 'ion pumping'. The effect of the magnetic field on neutral depletion is explored in plasma in which the dynamics is governed by cross-field diffusion. Finally, neutral depletion in a flowing plasma is analyzed.