AVS 50th International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Tuesday Sessions
       Session PS+TF-TuM

Invited Paper PS+TF-TuM1
PECVD, From the Laboratory to Mass Production

Tuesday, November 4, 2003, 8:20 am, Room 315

Session: Plasma Enchanced Chemical Vapor Deposition
Presenter: J.P.M. Schmitt, Unaxis Management Incorporated, Switzerland
Correspondent: Click to Email
After a rapid recall of the "alchemist" age of gas decomposition by an electrical arc, the gradual birth of PECVD is described in the early 70’s. The richness of PECVD potential was then realised creating expectations for a long list of potential applications. Soon after the first industrial applications of PECVD were demonstrated. A look back at the pioneering days of PECVD allows to identify and discuss the key attributes of PECVD that made (and keep) this technology attractive for film coating. In the early 80’s PECVD was hype and was the objet of active research. Basic research teams activity focused on the complex mechanisms involved in the PECVD process. First were understood the basic steps such as electron induced molecular dissociation and particle-surface processes. It is only later that far more complex mechanisms such as dust formation were found to be also extremely important. The status of knowledge on basic mechanisms will be reviewed. In the last 15-20 years a wide variety of configurations for the plasma reactors were tested. Instead of a complete zoological classification of all variations, we relate various classes of plasmas with their most marking attributes to the PECVD process key mechanisms. If in the 80’s PECVD was already at work in mass production plants, it is in the 90’s that a full set of production related problems were actively addressed. Self-cleaning was found a highly desirable ability for a PECVD tool. This requirement combined with high throughput demand led to new classes of equipment and processes. The application field of PECVD also stretched from the food industry the most sophisticated high tech industry. PECVD is today facing new challenges. The glass substrate size for the flat display industry is about to exceed 2m@super 2@ still requiring good uniformity and high throughput. PECVD has also the opportunity to prove itself into new fields such as semiconductor epitaxy or deposition of organic based films with functional groups.