Trajectory and Precipitation of Precursor Droplets in a RF Inductively Coupled Plasma

A mathematical model is developed to study the trajectory and heat and mass transfer of precursor droplets injected into a radio frequency (RF) inductively coupled plasma. The time-dependent equations governing the conservation of mass, momentum and energy along with the vector potential form of Maxwell’s equations are solved to predict the temperature and velocity fields of a RF inductively coupled plasma. Zirconium acetate precursor droplets are axially injected into the RF plasma. The droplet model involves the trajectory and vaporization of the droplet, and the heat and mass transfer within the droplet. The precipitation of precursor droplets is also predicted based on the homogeneous precipitation hypothesis. The variable thermo-physical properties of the plasma around the droplet are considered. The trajectory, temporal surface temperature and radius variation of droplets are predicted. The temperature , concentration, and precipitate distribution within the droplets are presented.