Boltzmann-equation simulations of radio-frequency-driven, low-temperature plasmas

We present a method for the numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation (BE) describing plasma electrons. We apply the method to a capacitively-coupled, radio-frequency-driven He discharge in parallel-plate (quasi-1D) geometry which contains time scales for physical processes spanning six orders of magnitude. Our BE solution procedure uses the method of characteristics for the Vlasov operator with interpolation in phase space at early time, allowing storage of the distribution function on a fixed phase-space grid. By alternating this BE method with a fluid description of the electrons, or with a novel time-cycle-average equation method, we compute the periodic steady state of a He plasma by time evolution from startup conditions. We find that the results compare favorably with measured current-voltage, plasma density, and ``cited state densities in the ``GEC`` Reference Cell. Our atomic He model includes five levels (some are summed composites), 15 electronic transitions, radiation trapping, and metastable-metastable collisions