Diagnostic of capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma from electrical discharge characteristics: comparison with optical emission spectroscopy and fluid model simulation

The capacitively coupled radio frequency(CCRF)plasma has been widely used in various fields.In some cases,it requires us to estimate the range of key plasma parameters simpler and quicker in order to understand the behavior in plasma.In this paper,a glass vacuum chamber and a pair of plate electrodes were designed and fabricated,using 13.56 MHz radio frequency(RF)discharge technology to ionize the working gas of Ar.This discharge was mathematically described with equivalent circuit model.The discharge voltage and current of the plasma were measured atdifferent pressures and different powers.Based on the capacitively coupled homogeneous discharge model,the equivalent circuit and the analytical formula were established.The plasma density and temperature were calculated by using the equivalent impedance principle and energy balance equation.The experimental results show that when RF discharge power is 50–300 W and pressure is 25–250 Pa,the average electron temperature is about 1.7–2.1 e V and the average electron density is about 0.5?×?10~(17)–3.6?×?10~(17)m~(-3).Agreement was found when the results were compared to those given by optical emission spectroscopy and COMSOL simulation.     

Fluid simulation of the effect of a dielectric window with high temperature on plasma parameters in inductively coupled plasma

To maintain the high-density plasma source in inductively coupled plasma (ICP), very high radiofrequency power is often delivered to the antenna, which can heat the dielectric windows near the antenna to high temperature. This high temperature can modulate the plasma characteristics to a large degree. We thus study the effect of dielectric window temperature on plasma parameters in two different ICP structures based on COMSOL software. The distributions of various plasma species are examined at different dielectric window temperatures. The concentration of neutral gas is found to be largely modulated at high dielectric window temperature, which further affects the electron collision probability with neutrals and the electron temperature. However, the electron density profiles are barely affected by the dielectric window temperature, which is mainly concentrated at the center of the reactor due to the fixed power input and pressure.     

Numerical simulation and experimental research on an inductively coupled RF plasma cathode

In this study, numerical simulation and discharge current tests were conducted on an inductively coupled radio frequency (RF) plasma cathode. Numerical simulations and experimental measurements were performed to study the factors influencing the electron extraction characteristics, including the gas type, gas flow, input power and extracting voltage. The simulation results were approximately consistent with the experimental results. We experimentally found that the RF input power mainly determines the extracted electron current. An electron current greater than 1 A was acquired at 270 W (RF input power), 2.766 sccm (xenon gas). Our results prove that an inductively coupled RF plasma cathode can be reasonable and feasible, particularly for low power electric propulsion devices.     

Plasma characteristics of direct current enhanced cylindrical inductively coupled plasma source

Experimental results of a direct current enhanced inductively coupled plasma (DCE-ICP) source which consists of a typical cylindrical ICP source and a plate-to-grid DC electrode are reported.With the use of this new source,the plasma characteristic parameters,namely,electron density,electron temperature and plasma uniformity,are measured by Langmuir floating double probe.It is found that DC discharge enhances the electron density and decreases the electron temperature,dramatically.Moreover,the plasma uniformity is obviously improved with the operation of DC and radio frequency (RF) hybrid discharge.Furthermore,the nonlinear enhancement effect of electron density with DC + RF hybrid discharge is confirmed.The presented observation indicates that the DCE-ICP source provides an effective method to obtain high-density uniform plasma,which is desirable for practical industrial applications.     

The Spatial Effects of Antenna Configuration in a Large Area Inductively Coupled Plasma System for Flat Panel Displays

Spatial distributions of plasma parameters such as electron density, electron temperature and electric potential were investigated using a commercial simulation software （COMSOLTM） to predict the effects of antenna configuration in a large area inductively cou- pled plasma （ICP） system for flat panel displays. Nine planar antenna sets were evenly placed above a ceramic window. While the electron density was influenced by both the input current and gas pressure, the electron temperature and electric potential were dominantly affected by the gas pressure.     

Bended probe diagnostics of the plasma characteristics within an ECR ion source with a rectangular waveguide

To reveal the argon plasma characteristics within the entire region of an electron cyclotron resonance(ECR) ion source, the plasma parameters were diagnosed using a bended Langmuir probe with the filament axis perpendicular to the diagnosing plane. Experiments indicate that,with a gas volume flow rate and incident microwave power of 4 sccm and 8.8 W, respectively,the gas was ionized to form plasma with a luminous ring. When the incident microwave power was above 27 W, the luminous ring was converted to a bright column, the dark area near its axis was narrowed, and the microwave power absorbing efficiency was increased. This indicates that there was a mode transition phenomenon in this ECR ion source when the microwave power increased. The diagnosis shows that, at an incident microwave power of 17.4 W, the diagnosed electron temperature and ion density were below 8 eV and 3?×?10~(17) m~(-3), respectively, while at incident microwave power levels of 30 W and 40 W, the maximum electron temperature and ion density were above 11 eV and 6.8?×?10~(17) m~(-3), respectively. Confined by magnetic mirrors, the higher density plasma region had a bow shape, which coincided with the magnetic field lines but deviated from the ECR layer.     

Investigation of E–H mode transition in magnetic-pole-enhanced inductively coupled neon–argon mixture plasma

In this paper, E–H mode transition in magnetic-pole-enhanced inductively coupled neon–argon mixture plasma is investigated in terms of fundamental plasma parameters as a function of argon fraction(0%–100%), operating pressure(1 Pa, 5 Pa, 10 Pa and 50 Pa), and radio frequency(RF) power(5–100 W). An RF compensated Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy are used for the diagnostics of the plasma under study. Owing to the lower ionization potential and higher collision cross-section of argon, when its fraction in the discharge is increased, the mode transition occurs at lower RF power; i.e. for 0% argon and1 Pa pressure, the threshold power of the E–H mode transition is 65 W, which reduces to 20 W when the argon fraction is increased. The electron density increases with the argon fraction at afixed pressure, whereas the temperature decreases with the argon fraction. The relaxation length of the low-energy electrons increases, and decreases for high-energy electrons with argon fraction, due to the Ramseur effect. However, the relaxation length of both groups of electrons decreases with pressure due to reduction in the mean free path. The electron energy probability function(EEPF) profiles are non-Maxwellian in E-mode, attributable to the nonlocal electron kinetics in this mode; however, they evolve to Maxwellian distribution when the discharge transforms to H-mode due to lower electron temperature and higher electron density in H-mode. The tail of the measured EEPFs is found to deplete in both E-and H-modes when the argon fraction in the discharge is increased, because argon has a much lower excitation potential(11.5 eV) than neon(16.6 eV).     

Comparative Study of Plasma Parameters in Magnetic Pole Enhanced Inductively Coupled Argon Plasmas

Langmuir probe measurements of radio frequency (RF) magnetic pole enhanced inductively coupled (MaPE-ICP) argon plasma were accomplished to obtain the electron number densities and electron temperatures. The measurements were carried out with a fixed RF frequency of 13.56 MHz in a pressure range of 7.5 mTorr to 75 mTorr at an applied RF power of 10 W and 100 W. These results are compared with a global (volume average) model. The results show good agreement between theoretical and experimental measurements. The electron number density shows an increasing trend with both RF power and pressure while the electron temperature shows decreasing trend as the pressure increases. The difference in the plasma potential and floating potential as a function of electron temperature measured from the electrical probe and that obtained theoretically shows a linear relation with a small difference in the coefficient of proportionality. The intensity of the emission line at 750.4 nm due to 2p 1 → 1s 2 (Paschen’s notation) transition closely follows the variation of n e with RF power and filling gas pressure. Measured electron energy probability function (EEPF) shows that electron occupation changes mostly in the high-energy tail, which highlights close similarity of 750.4 nm argon line to n e .     

Frequency dependence of plasma characteristics at different pressures in cylindrical inductively coupled plasma source

The effects of driving frequency on plasma parameters and electron heating efficiency are studied in cylindrical inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source. Measurements are made in an Ar discharge for driving frequency at 13.56/2 MHz, and pressures of 0.4–1.2 Pa. In 13.56 MHz discharge, higher electron density (n_e) and higher electron temperature (T_e) are observed in comparison with 2 MHz discharge at 0.6–1.2 Pa. However, slightly highern_e andT_e are observed in 2 MHz discharge at 0.4 Pa. This observation is explained by enhanced electron heating efficiency due to the resonance between the oscillation of 2 MHz electromagnetic field and electron-neutral collision process at 0.4 Pa. It is also found that the variation ofT_e distribution is different in 13.56 and 2 MHz discharge. For ICP at 13.56 MHz, T_e shows an edge-high profile at 0.4–1.2 Pa. For 2 MHz discharge,T_e remains an edge-high distribution at 0.4–0.8 Pa. However, the distribution pattern involves into a center-high profile at 0.9–1.2 Pa. The spatial profiles ofn_e remain a center-high shape in both 13.56 and 2 MHz discharges, which indicates the nonlocal kinetics at low pressures. Better uniformity could be achieved by using 2 MHz discharge. The effects of gas pressure on plasma parameters are also examined. An increase in gas pressure necessitates the rise ofn_e in both 13.56 and 2 MHz discharges. Meanwhile, T_e drops when gas pressure increases and shows a flatter distribution at higher pressure.     

Measurement of electron density and electron temperature of a cascaded arc plasma using laser Thomson scattering compared to an optical emission spectroscopic approach

As advanced linear plasma sources, cascaded arc plasma devices have been used to generate steady plasma with high electron density, high particle flux and low electron temperature. To measure electron density and electron temperature of the plasma device accurately, a laser Thomson scattering(LTS) system, which is generally recognized as the most precise plasma diagnostic method, has been established in our lab in Dalian University of Technology. The electron density has been measured successfully in the region of 4.5?×?10(19)m~(-3) to7.1?×?10~(20)m~(-3) and electron temperature in the region of 0.18 eV to 0.58 eV. For comparison,an optical emission spectroscopy(OES) system was established as well. The results showed that the electron excitation temperature(configuration temperature) measured by OES is significantly higher than the electron temperature(kinetic electron temperature) measured by LTS by up to 40% in the given discharge conditions. The results indicate that the cascaded arc plasma is recombining plasma and it is not in local thermodynamic equilibrium(LTE). This leads to significant error using OES when characterizing the electron temperature in a non-LTE plasma.     

Modulation of the plasma uniformity by coil and dielectric window structures in an inductively coupled plasma

The effects of coil and dielectric window structures on the plasma distribution are examined in a cylindrically symmetric planar inductively coupled plasma(ICP). A two-dimensional(2 D) fluid model is employed to investigate the design issues of ICP source for etching. When the gradient coil structure is applied at 400 W and 20 mTorr, the ionization rate caused by the power deposition decreases at the reactor center as compared to that in a reactor with a planar coil above the planar dielectric window, and a rather uniform plasma is obtained. However, for the vertical coil geometry, all the coils move to the position of the outermost coil, and the peaks of the power deposition and ionization rate appear at the radial edge of the substrate. In this case, the plasma density is characterized by an edge-high profile. Further, it is observed that the plasma uniformity is improved by increasing the source power under a gas pressure of 20 mTorr and becomes better when the gas pressure increases to 30 mTorr with the source power being fixed at400 W in the gradient coil configuration, but the uniformity of plasma worsens with the rising source power or pressure due to the strong localization in the vertical coil geometry. Moreover,when the discharge is sustained in a reactor with a stepped dielectric window at r = 0.135 m, the best plasma uniformity is obtained at 400 W and 20 m Torr because the ionization rate is enhanced at the outermost coil, and the dielectric window at r = 0.135 m blocks the diffusion of plasma towards the axis. In addition, higher source power and lower gas pressure produce more uniform plasma for the designs with a stepped window near the symmetry axis. When the dielectric window is stepped at r = 0.135 m, the non-uniformity of plasma initially decreases and then increases with the increase in source power or gas pressure. When the dielectric window is stepped at the radial edge of the chamber, the plasma uniformity is improved by increasing the source power and gas pressure due to the enhanced ionization at the larger radius caused by the severe localization.     

Diagnostics of Argon Inductively Coupled Plasma and Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma by Optical Emission Spectroscopy

1. IntroductionArgon plasma has been frequently used for mate-rial processing and film fabrication processes [1l [21 [31.The efficiency of these processes has very close rela-tion with plasma parameters [4][5], such as ion den-sity, electron temperature and ion energy dlstrlbu-tion. Lots of research has been done on the relation-ship between efficiency and availability of materialprocessing and plasma parameters [6][7].Both lCP dlscharge and DBD discharge are newtype plasma systems developed…     

Saturation Ion Current Densities in Inductively Coupled Hydrogen Plasma Produced by Large-Power Radio Frequency Generator

An experimental investigation of the saturation ion current densities(Jions) in hydrogen inductively coupled plasma(ICP) produced by a large-power(2-32 kW) radio frequency(RF) generator is reported,then some reasonable explanations are given out.With the increase of RF power,the experimental results show three stages:in the first stage(2-14 kW),the electron temperature will rise with the increase of RF power in the ICP,thus,the J_(ions) increases continually as the electron temperature rises in the ICR In the second stage(14-20 kW),as some H~- ions lead to the mutual neutralization(MN),the slope of J_(ions) variation firstly decreases then increases.In the third stage(20-32 kW),both the electronic detachment(ED) and the associative detachment(AD) in the ICP result in the destruction of H~- ions,therefore,the increased amplitude of the J_(ions) in the third stage is weaker than the one in the first stage.In addition,with the equivalent transformer model,we successfully explain that the J_(ions) at different radial locations in ICP has the same rule.Finally,it is found that the J_(ions) has nothing to do with the outer/inner puffing gas pressure ratio,which is attributed to the high-speed movement of hydrogen molecules.     

Effects of direct current discharge on the spatial distribution of cylindrical inductively-coupled plasma at different gas pressures

Stable operations of single direct current(DC) discharge, single radio frequency(RF) discharge and DC?+?RF hybrid discharge are achieved in a specially-designed DC enhanced inductivelycoupled plasma(DCE-ICP) source. Their plasma characteristics, such as electron density,electron temperature and the electron density spatial distribution profiles are investigated and compared experimentally at different gas pressures. It is found that under the condition of single RF discharge, the electron density distribution profiles show a ‘convex' shape and ‘saddle' shape at gas pressures of 3 m Torr and 150 m Torr respectively. This result can be attributed to the transition of electron kinetics from nonlocal to local kinetics with an increase in gas pressure.Moreover, in the operation of DC?+?RF hybrid discharge at different gas pressures, the DC discharge has different effects on plasma uniformity. The plasma uniformity can be improved by modulating DC power at a high pressure of 150 m Torr where local electron kinetics is dominant,whereas plasma uniformity deteriorates at a low pressure of 3 m Torr where nonlocal electron kinetics prevails. This phenomenon, as analyzed, is due to the obvious nonlinear enhancement effect of electron density at the chamber center, and the inherent radial distribution difference in the electron density with single RF discharge at different gas pressures.     

Experimental Study of the Influence of Process Pressure and Gas Composition on GaAs Etching Characteristics in Cl2/BCl3-Based Inductively Coupled Plasma

A study of Cl2/BCl3-based inductively coupled plasma (ICP) was conducted using thick photoresist mask for anisotropic etching of 50 μm diameter holes in a GaAs wafer at a relatively high average etching rate for etching depths of more than 150 μm. Plasma etch characteristics with ICP process pressure and the percentage of BCl3 were studied in greater detail at a constant ICP coil/bias power. The measured peak-to-peak voltage as a function of pressure was used to estimate the minimum energy of the ions bombarding the substrate. The process pressure was found to have a substantial influence on the energy of heavy ions. Various ion species in plasma showed minimum energy variation from 1.85 to 7.5 eV in the pressure range of 20 to 50 mTorr. The effect of pressure and the percentage of BCl3 on the etching rate and surface smoothness of the bottom surface of the etched hole were studied for a fixed total flow rate. The etching rate was found to decrease with the percentage of BCl3, whereas the addition of BCl3 resulted in anisotropic holes with a smooth veil free bottom surface at a pressure of 30 mTorr and 42% BCl3. In addition, variation of the etching yield with pressure and etching depth were also investigated.     

Preliminary results of optical emission spectroscopy by line ratio method in the RF negative ion source at ASIPP

Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) using the trace rare gases of Ar and Xe have been carried out in a radio frequency (RF) driven negative ion source at Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Science (ASIPP), in order to determine the electron temperature and density of the hydrogen plasma. The line-ratio methods based on population models are applied to describe the radiation process of the excited state particles and establish their relations with the plasma parameters. The spectral lines from the argon and xenon excited state atoms with the wavelength of 750.4 and 828.0 nm are used to calculate the electron temperature based on the corona model. The argon ions emission lines with the wavelength of 480 and 488 nm are selected to calculate the electron density based on the collisional radiative model. OES has given the preliminary results of the electron temperature and density by varying the discharge gas pressure and RF power. According to the experimental results, the typical plasma parameters is T_e ≈ 2–4 eV and n_e ≈ 1×10 ¹⁷– 8×10¹⁷ m⁻³ in front of plasma grid.     

Characterization of a microsecond pulsed non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure Ar plasma using laser scattering and optical emission spectroscopy

A non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure argon(Ar) plasma excited by microsecond pulse is studied experimentally by laser scattering and optical emission spectroscopy(OES), and theoretically by collisional-radiative(CR) model. More specifically, the electron temperature and electron density of plasma are obtained directly by the laser Thomson scattering, the gas temperature is measured by laser Raman scattering, the optical emissions of excited Ar states of plasma are measured by OES. The laser scattering results show that the electron temperature is about 1 eV which is similar to that excited by 60 Hz AC power, but the gas temperature is as low as 300 K compared to about 700 K excited by 60 Hz AC power. It is shown that the microsecond pulsed power supply, rather than nanosecond ones, is short enough to reduce the gas temperature of atmospheric pressure plasma to near room temperature. The electron temperature and electron density are also obtained by CR model based on OES, and find that the intensities of the optical emission intensity lines of 727.41, 811.73, 841.08, 842.83, 852.44 and 912.86 nm of Ar can be used to characterize the behavior of electron density and electron temperature, it is very useful to quickly estimate the activity of the atmospheric pressure Ar plasma in many applications.     

电子回旋共振等离子体源的特性

简要描述了一台频率为２．４５ＧＨｚ的电子回旋共振（ＥＣＲ）等离子体源的特性测试,结果表明,放电室内的等离子体密度和电子温度与静态磁场、微波输入功率和真空度等参数均有着密切关系。当磁场达到共振条件８７．５ｍＴ时,等离子体很易产生,但等离子体密度的最大值却出现在９３ｍＴ处。ＥＣＲ源在真空度为０．１－１Ｐａ间均能运行。由石英、Ａｌ２Ｏ３陶瓷和ＢＮ构成的微波输入窗有良好的阻抗匹配,在微波功率为２００－７０     

Characterization of high flux magnetized helium plasma in SCU-PSI linear device

A high-flux linear plasma device in Sichuan University plasma-surface interaction(SCU-PSI)based on a cascaded arc source has been established to simulate the interactions between helium and hydrogen plasma with the plasma-facing components in fusion reactors.In this paper,the helium plasma has been characterized by a double-pin Langmuir probe.The results show that the stable helium plasma beam with a diameter of 26 mm was constrained very well at a magnetic field strength of 0.3 T.The core density and ion flux of helium plasma have a strong dependence on the applied current,magnetic field strength and gas flow rate.It could reach an electron density of1.2?×?10~(19)m~(-3)and helium ion flux of 3.2?×?10~(22)m~(-2)s~(-1),with a gas flow rate of 4 standard liter per minute,magnetic field strength of 0.2 T and input power of 11 k W.With the addition of-80 Vapplied to the target to increase the helium ion energy and the exposure time of 2 h,the flat top temperature reached about 530°C.The different sizes of nanostructured fuzz on irradiated tungsten and molybdenum samples surfaces under the bombardment of helium ions were observed by scanning electron microscopy.These results measured in the SCU-PSI linear device provide a reference for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor related PSI research.     

Development of a helicon-wave excited plasma facility with high magnetic field for plasma-wall interactions studies

The high magnetic field helicon experiment system is a helicon wave plasma(HWP)source device in a high axial magnetic field(B_0)developed for plasma–wall interactions studies for fusion reactors.This HWP was realized at low pressure(5?×?10~(-3)?-?10 Pa)and a RF(radio frequency,13.56 MHz)power(maximum power of 2 k W)using an internal right helical antenna(5 cm in diameter by 18 cm long)with a maximum B_0of 6300 G.Ar HWP with electron density~10~(18)–10~(20)m~(-3)and electron temperature~4–7 e V was produced at high B_0 of 5100 G,with an RF power of 1500 W.Maximum Ar~+ion flux of 7.8?×?10~(23)m~(-2)s~(-1)with a bright blue core plasma was obtained at a high B_0 of 2700 G and an RF power of 1500 W without bias.Plasma energy and mass spectrometer studies indicate that Ar~+ion-beams of 40.1 eV are formed,which are supersonic(~3.1c_s).The effect of Ar HWP discharge cleaning on the wall conditioning are investigated by using the mass spectrometry.And the consequent plasma parameters will result in favorable wall conditioning with a removal rate of 1.1?×?10~(24)N_2/m~2 h.