Effects of dust particles on electron bounce resonance heating and nonlocal electrodynamics in RF discharges

The presence of dust particles in plasma introduces distinctive electron kinetic and electrodynamic behaviors, and understanding these effects is crucial for advancing both fundamental plasma properties and practical applications. In this study, the impact of dust particles on electron bounce resonance heating (BRH) and nonlocal electrodynamics is numerically investigated in radio frequency inductively coupled plasmas. As the dust size or number density increases, the BRH manifested by a plateau in the electron energy probability function weakens and eventually disappears owing to the combined effects of modified energy diffusion associated with electron–electron collisions and electron heating, together with the enhanced dust-induced energy losses. The presence of dust particles causes localization of the electric field, current density, and power deposition density near the plasma boundary adjacent to the coil because of the reduced skin depth. Consequently, the peak conductivity shifts from the discharge center toward the boundary. This redistribution significantly weakens the nonlocality between the electric field and the plasma current and suppresses power deposition in the plasma bulk.