| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology | Thursday Sessions |
| Session PS-ThP |
| Session: | Plasma Science and Technology Poster Session |
| Presenter: | Pawel Piotrowicz, University of Illinois |
| Authors: | P. Piotrowicz, University of Illinois D. Alman, Starfire Industries B. Jurczyk, Starfire Industries M. Stowell, Applied Materials I. Schelkanov, University of Illinois D. Curreli, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign D.N. Ruzic, University of Illinois |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Plasmas generated by microwave excitation offer multiple advantages to thin film processing over lower frequency and DC discharges. Typical microwave discharges create plasmas with higher densities of electrons, lower average electron temperatures, and lower sheath voltages. The decreased ion energies and higher densities respectively offer less ion-induced damage to the thin film and higher deposition rates. These advantages can provide a processing technique to grow high quality crystalline thin films with low density of intrinsic defects.
However, on smaller scale devices, microwave discharges have not been used in industry, due to the difficulty in creating a uniform plasma density. The finite element model describes surface wave plasmas generated by a microwave slot antenna. The plasma is modeled as a dielectric medium with variable plasma density. Dielectric properties of the plasma are derived from a cold plasma dispersion relation. This approach provides a simple model to predict plasma density based on power deposition throughout the dielectric material, which can be used to optimize antenna design for uniform plasma generation.