Nuclear Reactors And Semiconductors Are About To Get Smarter With Next-Gen US Plasma Tech

The US Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has unveiled a groundbreaking simulation technique that promises to revolutionize both nuclear fusion research and semiconductor manufacturing. This new simulation approach greatly improves our understanding of industrial plasmas, which are used in microchip production and surface coating technologies.

PPPL researchers have found a quicker and more reliable way to model the changing electric fields in industrial plasmas. In the past, it was very difficult to simulate plasma using kinetic methods because it took a lot of computing power, even from the most advanced supercomputers. However, the new method greatly decreases the amount of computation needed, making it both efficient and stable.

“This is an important advance for what we can do at PPPL,” said Igor Kaganovich, principal research physicist. The discovery was made possible by a partnership between PPPL and Applied Materials Inc., who focused on inductively coupled plasmas used in chip manufacturing.

A major advance was made by updating the simulation equations, especially by improving the way solenoidal electric fields are calculated for plasma heating. As a result of these improvements, the simulation now runs smoothly and reliably.

The new code uses a “particle-in-cell” approach, which makes it possible to closely monitor plasma behavior, important for industrial processes that require low pressure. Unlike other fluid models, this method guarantees that energy is conserved during the simulation, which is important for getting accurate results.

“The improvement is significant for a complicated problem,” said Jin Chen from PPPL. Conserving energy in simulations stops errors from building up over a large number of steps, making the results more accurate and realistic.

As a result, the US plasma research community is now leading the way in scientific and industrial progress, which could bring about smarter nuclear reactors and more efficient semiconductor production.