Three-dimensional computer simulation of plasma–solid interaction in the presence of magnetic field

This paper describes computational simulations of the propagation of a magnetised plasma to inner parts of porous solids or cavities. The geometry of such a problem requires generally three-dimensional simulations due to lack of symmetry. We propose a hybrid method to overcome limitations of commonly used particle and fluid models. The hybrid method combines particle and fluid parts in an iterative manner to obtain results in a short time preserving information about individual particles.The hybrid model is applied to a study of ion propagation to a cylindrical hole in a conductive solid. The influence of a magnetic field and its orientation is discussed. The presence of the magnetic field enhances the flux of ions to the hole; the influence of voltage bias on the substrate is highly important.

► Hybrid model is a competitive alternative to particle models.
► Magnetic field improves the ion propagation to inner parts of a cavity.
► Negative bias changes the ion flux distribution to walls of cavity.