Electron transport parameters in NF₃

We present electron transport parameters (the first Townsend coefficient, the dissociative attachment coefficient, the fraction of electron energy lost by collisions with NF₃ molecules, the average and characteristic electron energy, the electron mobility and the drift velocity) in NF₃ gas calculated from published elastic and inelastic electron-NF₃ collision cross-sections using the BOLSIG+ code. Calculations were performed for the combined RB (Rescigno 1995 Phys. Rev. E 52 329, Boesten et al 1996 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 29 5475) momentum-transfer cross-section, as well as for the JB (Joucoski and Bettega 2002 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 35 783) momentum-transfer cross-section. In addition, we have measured the radio frequency (rf) breakdown curves for various inter-electrode gaps and rfs, and from these we have determined the electron drift velocity in NF₃ from the location of the turning point in these curves. These drift velocity values are in satisfactory agreement with those calculated by the BOLSIG+ code employing the JB momentum-transfer cross-section.