We apply the ionization region model (IRM) and the Orsay Boltzmann equation for electrons coupled with ionization and excited states kinetics (OBELIX) model to study the electron kinetics of a high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge. In the IRM the bulk (cold) electrons are assumed to exhibit a Maxwellian energy distribution and the secondary (hot) electrons, emitted from the target surface upon ion bombardment, are treated as a high energy tail, while in the OBELIX the electron energy distribution is calculated self-consistently using an isotropic Boltzmann equation. The two models are merged in the sense that the output from the IRM is used as an input for OBELIX. The temporal evolutions of the particle densities are found to agree very well between the two models. Furthermore, a very good agreement is demonstrated between the bi-Maxwellian electron energy distribution assumed by the IRM and the electron energy distribution calculated by the OBELIX model. It can therefore be concluded that assuming a bi-Maxwellian electron energy distribution, constituting a cold bulk electron group and a hot secondary electron group, is a good approximation for modeling the HiPIMS discharge.

我们应用电离区模型 (IRM) 和奥赛玻尔兹曼方程的电子耦合电离和激发态动力学 (OBELIX) 模型来研究高功率脉冲磁控溅射 (HiPIMS) 放电的电子动力学。在 IRM 中，假设体（冷）电子呈现麦克斯韦能量分布，而在离子轰击时从目标表面发射的二次（热）电子被视为高能尾，而在 OBELIX 中，电子能量分布使用各向同性玻尔兹曼方程自洽计算。从 IRM 的输出用作 OBELIX 的输入的意义上说，这两个模型是合并的。发现粒子密度的时间演变在两个模型之间非常吻合。此外，IRM 假设的双麦克斯韦电子能量分布与 OBELIX 模型计算的电子能量分布之间显示出非常好的一致性。因此可以得出结论，假设双麦克斯韦电子能量分布，构成冷体电子群和热二次电子群，是模拟 HiPIMS 放电的良好近似。