Simulation of gas-discharge UV sources based on a glow discharge in a xenon-chlorine mixture

A model is developed that makes it possible to calculate the concentration of excimer molecules, halogenides of inert gases, in the positive column of a glow discharge initiated in a chlorine-containing gas mixture. Using this model, one can quantitatively reproduce experimental dependences of the excimer UV power on the discharge current in wide ranges of the gas mixture compositions and pressures, provide satisfactory quantitative agreement between calculated and experimental radial distributions of the electron and excimer molecule concentrations, and give a physical explanation for the experimental dependences. To this end, this model, unlike other available ones, allows for the electron-impact dissociation of chlorine molecules, the radial nonuniformity of dissociation, and the radial nonuniformity of the gas temperature.