Electron Interactions with C2F6

Perfluoroethane (C2F6, hexafluoroethane) is a man-made gas with many important applications (e.g., in the aluminum industry, the semiconductor industry, plasma chemistry and etching technologies, and pulsed power switching). In these and other uses, knowledge of the interactions of slow electrons (kinetic energies less than about 100 eV) is fundamental in optimizing performance parameters involved in the particular application. We, therefore, have critically evaluated and synthesized existing knowledge on electron interactions with C2F6. The following cross sections and their intercomparison are presented and discussed: total electron scattering, momentum transfer, integral elastic, differential elastic, differential vibrational, vibrational inelastic, total ionization, partial ionization, total dissociation, and electron attachment. Information is presented also on the coefficients for electron impact ionization, effective ionization, electron attachment, and electron transport (lateral diffusion coefficient and drift velocity), as well as on the rate constant for electron attachment as a function of the mean electron energy and gas temperature. While some information is available for these cross sections, additional measurements are needed for each of them, especially for inelastic electron scattering and momentum transfer. No published data are available for dissociation of C2F6 into neutral fragments. The coefficients are generally better known than the cross sections although further measurements on electron diffusion coefficients and electron attachment at high E/N values are indicated.