AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session PS-ThA

Paper PS-ThA5
Investigation of Frequency and Magnetic Field Effect on Single and Multiple Frequencies Capacitively Coupled Plasma Reactors

Thursday, November 3, 2005, 3:20 pm, Room 304

Session: Plasma Sources and Equipment
Presenter: T. Panagopoulos, Applied Materials Inc.
Authors: T. Panagopoulos, Applied Materials Inc.
A.M. Paterson, Applied Materials Inc.
J.P. Holland, Applied Materials Inc.
Correspondent: Click to Email
The effect of driving frequency and magnetic field has been investigated for a 300 mm MERIE reactor for an argon discharge using the HPEM hybrid-fluid computational model. The driving frequency varied from 2 MHz up to 200 MHz for either single or multiple frequency operation, while the magnetic field range was 0 to 225 G. Pressure was maintained low, at 30 mTorr, where the magnetic field has the most dominant effect and the power was held constant at 400 W. As the magnetic field increases the dc bias becomes less negative and the difference between plasma potential and dc bias is reduced and becomes minimal at high values of magnetic field. For low driving frequencies, up to 20 MHz, the dc bias increases (becomes more negative) with a small increase in magnetic field (<50 G). The lower the frequency the higher the magnetic field value required for the dc bias to start becoming less negative with increasing B field. For higher frequencies (>40 MHz), the dc bias becomes less negative monotonically with the B field intensity. For high magnetic field (~170 G), the frequency effect on dc bias is rather weak. The electron temperature at reactor centerline decreases with increasing frequency and increasing magnetic field intensity, while the argon metastable and argon density follow opposite trends with one another at the same location. The plasma density increases with the frequency and magnetic field, while the argon metastable density peaks at low B field initially and then decreases at higher B field. The plasma potential decreases both with increasing magnetic field and driving frequency. At higher frequencies (>20 MHz) and values of magnetic field greater than 50 G, the plasma potential increases with the magnetic field and saturates at values around 200 G. Experimental results using langmuir and V-I probes confirm the trends observed in the simulation study.