Time-resolved radial uniformity of pulse-modulated inductively coupled O_2/Ar plasmas

Time-resolved radial uniformity of pulse-modulated inductively coupled O_2/Ar plasma has been investigated by means of a Langmuir probe as well as an optical probe in this paper. The radial uniformity of plasma has been discussed through analyzing the nonuniformity factor β(calculated by the measured n_e, lower β means higher plasma radial uniformity). The results show that during the active-glow period, the radial distribution of ne exhibits an almost flat profile at the beginning phase, but it converts into a parabola-like profile during the steady state. The consequent evolution for β is that when the power is turned on, it declines to a minimum at first, and then it increases to a maximum, after that, it decays until it keeps constant. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the ionization gradually becomes stronger at the plasma center and meanwhile the rebuilt electric field(plasma potential and ambipolar potential) will confine the electrons at the plasma center as well. Besides, the mean electron energy( ε_(on)) at the pulse beginning decreases with the increasing duty cycle. This will postpone the plasma ignition after the power is turned on. This phenomenon has been verified by the emission intensity of Ar(λ = 750.4 nm). During the after-glow period, it is interesting to find that the electrons have a large depletion rate at the plasma center. Consequently, ne forms a hollow distribution in the radial direction at the late stage of after-glow. Therefore, β exhibits a maximum at the same time. This can be attributed to the formation of negative oxygen ion(O~-) at the plasma center when the power has been turned off.     

Quasi-delta negative ions density of Ar/O_2 inductively coupled plasma at very low electronegativity

One of the novel phenomena of Ar/O_2 inductively coupled plasma, the delta negative ions density profile is discovered by the fluid simulation at very low electronegativity. The anions delta is found to be formed by the collaboration of successive plasma transport phases. The plasma transport itself is affected by the delta, exhibiting many new phenomena.A new type of Helmholtz equation is devised to mathematically explain the delta forming mechanism. For revealing the physics behind, a revised spring oscillator dynamic equation has been constructed according to the Helmholtz equation, in a relevant paper [Zhao S X and Li J Z(2021) Chin. Phys. B 30 055202]. The investigation about the anions delta distribution is a nice prediction of new phenomenon in low temperature electronegative plasmas, waiting for the validation of related experiments.     

Absolute density measurement of hydrogen atom in inductively coupled Ar/H2 plasmas using vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy

The absolute density measurement of atomic species such as hydrogen is crucial for plasma processing because of their strong chemical reactivity. In this work, to measure the hydrogen atom density in Ar/H₂ inductively coupled plasmas (ICP), the self-absorption-applied vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy (VUVAS) is studied with a micro-hollow cathode H₂/He discharge lamp (MHCL) emitting VUV light (Lyman alpha line; L_α 121.56 nm). The absolute density of hydrogen atoms in the ICP is investigated for various powers (50 W–850 W) in the low pressure region (30 mTorr–50 mTorr). The hydrogen density in remote plasma region is shown to vary from 2.1 × 10¹¹ cm⁻³ to 1.25 × 10¹² cm⁻³ with respect to plasma power.     

Measurement of electronegativity during the E to H mode transition in a radio frequency inductively coupled Ar/O_2 plasma

This paper presents the evolution of the electronegativity with the applied power during the E to H mode transition in a radio frequency(rf)inductively coupled plasma(ICP)in a mixture of Ar and O2.The densities of the negative ion and the electron,as well as their ratio,i.e.,the electronegativity,are measured as a function of the applied power by laser photo-detachment combined with a microwave resonance probe,under different pressures and O2 contents.Meanwhile,the optical emission intensities at Ar 750.4 nm and O 844.6 nm are monitored via a spectrograph.It was found that by increasing the applied power,the electron density and the optical emission intensity show a similar trench,i.e.,they increase abruptly at a threshold power,suggesting that the E to H mode transition occurs.With the increase of the pressure,the negative ion density presents opposite trends in the E-mode and the H-mode,which is related to the difference of the electron density and energy for the two modes.The emission intensities of Ar 750.4 nm and O 844.6 nm monotonously decrease with increasing the pressure or the O2 content,indicating that the density of high-energy electrons,which can excite atoms,is monotonically decreased.This leads to an increase of the negative ion density in the H-mode with increasing the pressure.Besides,as the applied power is increased,the electronegativity shows an abrupt drop during the E-to H-mode transition.     

Electronic dynamic behavior in inductively coupled plasmas with radio-frequency bias

The inflexion point of electron density and effective electron temperature curves versus radio-frequency （RF） bias voltage is observed in the H mode of inductively coupled plasmas （ICPs）. The electron energy probability function （EEPF） evolves first from a Maxwellian to a Druyvesteyn-like distribution, and then to a Maxwellian distribution again as the RF bias voltage increases. This can be explained by the interaction of two distinct bias-induced mechanisms, that is： bias- induced electron heating and bias-induced ion acceleration loss and the decrease of the effective discharge volume due to the sheath expansion. Furthermore, the trend of electron density is verified by a fluid model combined with a sheath module.     

Numerical study of the effect of gas flow in low pressure inductively coupled Ar/N<Subscript>2</Subscript> plasmas

The effect of gas flow in low pressure inductively coupled Ar/N₂ plasmas operating at the rf frequency of 13.56 MHz and the total gas pressure of 20 mTorr is studied at the gas flows of 5–700 sccm by coupling the plasma simulation with the calculation of flow dynamics. The gas temperature is 300 K and input power is 300 W. The Ar fractions are varied from 0% to 95%. The species taken into account include electrons, Ar atoms and their excited levels, N₂ molecules and their seven different excited levels, N atoms, and Ar⁺, N⁺, N₂ ⁺, N₄ ⁺ ions. 51 chemical reactions are considered. It is found that the electron densities increase and electron temperatures decrease with a rise in gas flow rate for the different Ar fractions. The densities of all the plasma species for the different Ar fractions and gas flow rates are obtained. The collisional power losses in plasma discharges are presented and the effect of gas flow is investigated.     

Measurement of neutral gas temperature in inductively coupled plasmas

Dependence of the neutral gas temperature on the gas pressure and discharge power in an inductively coupled plasma source has been investigated using optical emission spectroscopy. Both nitrogen and argon plasmas have been studied separately. In the case of argon plasma, about 5% nitrogen was added to the total gas flow as an actinometer. The maximum temperature was found to be as high as 1850 K at 1 Torr working pressure and 600 W radiofrequency power. The temperature increases almost linearly with the logarithm of the gas pressure, but changes only slightly with the discharge power in the range of 100–600 W. In a nitrogen plasma, a sudden increase in the neutral gas temperature occurs when the gas pressure is increased at a given discharge power. This suggests a discharge-mode transition from the H-mode (high plasma density) to the E-mode (low plasma density). In the H-mode, the gas temperature is proportional to the logarithm of the gas pressure, as in the argon plasma. However, the gas temperature increases almost linearly with the discharge power, which is in contrast to the case of argon plasma. The electron density in the nitrogen plasma is about 10% of that in the argon plasma. This may explain the observation that the nitrogen neutral temperature is always lower than the argon neutral temperature under the same discharge power and gas pressure.     

CF4气体ICP等离子体中的双温电子特性

使用朗谬尔探针方法研究了低压CF4气体感应耦合等离子体（ICP）的放电特性.结果表明 ，CF4等离子体的电子呈现双温分布：一类是密度低、能量高的快电子，另一类是密度高 、能量低的慢电子.快电子温度The、慢电子温度Tce以及它们的平均 电子温度Te随射频输入功率的增加而下降；而它们的密度nhe，nce和ne随功率的增加而上升.从电子与气体粒子碰撞能量平衡的角度解释了双温电子特性与射频输入功率之间的关系. 关键词： 感应耦合等离子体 CF4气体 朗谬尔探针 电子温度     

Influence of dielectric materials on uniformity of large-area capacitively coupled plasmas for N_2/Ar discharges

The effect of the dielectric ring on the plasma radial uniformity is numerically investigated in the practical 450-mm capacitively coupled plasma reactor by a two-dimensional self-consistent fluid model. The simulations were performed for N2/Ar discharges at the pressure of 300 Pa, and the frequency of 13.56 MHz. In the practical plasma treatment process,the wafer is always surrounded by a dielectric ring, which is less studied. In this paper, the plasma characteristics are systematically investigated by changing the properties of the dielectric ring, i.e., the relative permittivity, the thickness and the length. The results indicate that the plasma parameters strongly depend on the properties of the dielectric ring. As the ratio of the thickness to the relative permittivity of the dielectric ring increases, the electric field at the wafer edge becomes weaker due to the stronger surface charging effect. This gives rise to the lower N_2~+ ion density, flux and N atom density at the wafer edge. Thus the homogeneous plasma density is obtained by selecting optimal dielectric ring relative permittivity and thickness. In addition, we also find that the length of the dielectric ring should be as short as possible to avoid the discontinuity of the dielectric materials, and thus obtain the large area uniform plasma.     

Dry etching characteristics of GaN using Cl2/BCl3 inductively coupled plasmas

ICP power/RF power, operating pressure, and Cl₂/BCl₃ gas mixing ratio are altered to investigate the effect of input process parameters on the etch characteristics of GaN films. The etch selectivity of GaN over SiO₂ and photoresist is studied. Although higher ICP/RF power can obtain higher GaN/photoresist etch selectivity, it can result in faceting of sidewall and weird sidewall profile due to photoresist mask erosion. Etch rates of GaN and SiO₂ decrease with the increase of operating pressure, and etch selectivity of GaN over SiO₂ increases with the increasing operating pressure at fixed ICP/RF power and mixture component. The highest etch selectivity of GaN over SiO₂ is 7.92, and an almost vertical etch profile having an etch rate of GaN close to 845.3 nm/min can be achieved. The surface morphology and root-mean-square roughness of the etched GaN under different etching conditions are evaluated by atomic force microscopy. The plasma-induced damage of GaN is analyzed using photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The optimized etching process, used for mesa formation during the LED fabrication, is presented. The periodic pattern can be transferred into GaN using a combination of Cl₂/BCl₃ plasma chemistry and hard mask SiO₂. Patterning of the sapphire substrate for fabricating LED with improved extraction efficiency is also possible using the same plasma chemistry.     

Removal of GaN film over AlGaN with inductively coupled BCl3/Ar atomic layer etch

Atomic layer etching(ALE)of thin film GaN(0001)is reported in detail using sequential surface modification by BCl₃ adsorption and removal of the modified surface layer by low energy Ar plasma exposure in a reactive ion etching system.The estimated etching rate of GaN is~0.74 nm/cycle.The GaN is removed from the surface of AlGaN after 135 cycles.To study the mechanism of the etching,the detailed characterization and analyses are carried out,including scanning electron microscope(SEM),x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and atomic force microscope(AFM).It is found that in the presence of GaCl_x after surface modification by BCl₃,the GaCl_x disappears after having exposed to low energy Ar plasma,which effectively exhibits the mechanism of atomic layer etch.This technique enables a uniform and reproducible fabrication process for enhancement-mode high electron mobility transistors with a p-GaN gate.     

感应耦合等离子体的1维流体力学模拟

采用双极扩散近似的流体力学模型,通过数值模拟方法研究了射频感应耦合等离子体(ICP)中等离子体密度和电子温度等物理量的空间分布,其中射频源的功率沉积由动力学理论给出。分析了不同的射频线圈的驱动电流和放电气压对等离子体密度和电子温度空间分布的影响。在低气压下,等离子体密度基本上保持空间均匀分布。随着放电压强的增加,等离子体密度的分布呈现出明显的空间不均匀性。当线圈电流增大时,等离子体密度和电子温度都随着增大。     

感应耦合等离子体的1维流体力学模拟

 采用双极扩散近似的流体力学模型,通过数值模拟方法研究了射频感应耦合等离子体(ICP)中等离子体密度和电子温度等物理量的空间分布,其中射频源的功率沉积由动力学理论给出。分析了不同的射频线圈的驱动电流和放电气压对等离子体密度和电子温度空间分布的影响。在低气压下,等离子体密度基本上保持空间均匀分布。随着放电压强的增加,等离子体密度的分布呈现出明显的空间不均匀性。当线圈电流增大时,等离子体密度和电子温度都随着增大。     

平板型感应耦合等离子体源的线圈配置对功率耦合效率的影响

基于感应耦合等离子体的变压器模型，分析了感应耦合等离子体的功率耦合效率与线圈配置(几何尺寸、电学参量)及等离子体基本参量(等离子体电子密度、电子-中性粒子有效碰撞频率)之间的关系；然后，改变平板型线圈的匝数从而改变了线圈的几何尺寸、电学参量，并且测量出了不同的线圈所对应的功率耦合效率.实验结果表明，线圈的电感量是能否实现放电的决定性因素；而功率耦合效率则与感应线圈的Q值、放电参量(气压、功率)等密切相关，射频输入功率的增加、放电气压的上升都会导致感应耦合等离子体耦合效率的提高，这与感应耦合等离子体的变压器模型预测结果是符合的. 然而，变压器模型给出的提高线圈Q值可导致耦合效率增强的预测结果仅适用于同等电感量的线圈条件. 本文对于单线圈的感应耦合等离子体源的研究为线圈的优化设计甚至大面积的多线圈感应耦合等离子体源研制提供了理论依据. 关键词： 感应耦合等离子体 功率耦合效率 变压器模型     

Fluid simulation of the pulsed bias effect on inductively coupled nitrogen discharges for low-voltage plasma immersion ion implantation

Planar radio frequency inductively coupled plasmas(ICP) are employed for low-voltage ion implantation processes,with capacitive pulse biasing of the substrate for modulation of the ion energy. In this work, a two-dimensional(2D) selfconsistent fluid model has been employed to investigate the influence of the pulsed bias power on the nitrogen plasmas for various bias voltages and pulse frequencies. The results indicate that the plasma density as well as the inductive power density increase significantly when the bias voltage varies from 0 V to-4000 V, due to the heating of the capacitive field caused by the bias power. The N+fraction increases rapidly to a maximum at the beginning of the power-on time, and then it decreases and reaches the steady state at the end of the glow period. Moreover, it increases with the bias voltage during the power-on time, whereas the N_2~+ fraction exhibits a reverse behavior. When the pulse frequency increases to 25 kHz and40 kHz, the plasma steady state cannot be obtained, and a rapid decrease of the ion density at the substrate surface at the beginning of the glow period is observed.     

电负性气体的掺入对容性耦合Ar等离子体的影响

本文利用朗缪尔静电探针对掺入了电负性气体O₂, Cl₂, SF₆的由4068 MHz激发的单射频容性耦合Ar等离子体进行了诊断测量. 测量结果表明: 随着电负性气体流量的增加, 电子能量概率分布函数出现了高能峰, 高能峰且有向高能侧漂移的现象; 电负性气体掺入Ar等离子体后显著降低了等离子体的电子密度; 电子温度随着电负性气体流量比的增加而升高. 另外, 本文还测量了掺入三种电负性气体后在不同流量比下的混合气体等离子体的电负度α . 对实验现象进行了初步的解释. 关键词： 电负性等离子体 电子密度 电子温度 电负度     

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In order to optimize the process of plasma spheroidization of the lithium micro-powder, a 2-D model of inductively coupled thermal plasma torch is presented. The calculating domain of the electromagnetic field is extended to the air region outside the plasma discharge region and multi-physics coupling calculation was performed by using COMSOL software. The plasma electromagnetic field, temperature and velocity distributions are obtained. The physical mechanism of distributions is analyzed. The simulation found that there are two sets of symmetrical reflux vortices in the coil section of the plasma region. The velocity distribution which locates in the center of coil section and closes to the wall of confinement tube is in disorder. The plasma particles hit the wall along the radial direction. Disorderly flow may cause a rupture area along the circular tube wall. Based on the simulation results, it is proposed that in the process of inductively coupled plasma spheroidization, powder injection port can be moved down to avoid the upper reflux vortex.     

基于COMSOL 的感应耦合等离子体炬多物理场研究

为了优化锂微粉等离子体球化的工艺,对感应耦合等离子体炬进行二维建模,将电磁场计算域扩展到等离子体放电区域之外的空气区域,利用COMSOL 软件进行多物理场模拟。得到了等离子体的电磁场、温度和速度分布,并对分布形成的物理机制进行分析。模拟发现等离子体区域线圈段存在上下两组对称的回流涡,线圈段中部靠近约束管处等离子体速度分布杂乱,有激烈的径向打壁现象,乱流预计会对约束管壁相应位置造成一条环状的破裂效果。基于模拟结果,提出在采用感应耦合等离子体球化锂微粉的工艺工程中,可以将注粉口下移,绕开上回流涡。     

Measurements of argon metastable density using the tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy in Ar and Ar/O_2

Densities of Ar metastable states 1s_5 and 1s_3 are measured by using the tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy(TDLAS) in Ar and Ar/O2 mixture dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasma(DF-CCP). We investigate the effects of high-frequency(HF, 60 MHz) power, low-frequency(LF, 2 MHz) power, and working pressure on the density of Ar metastable states for three different gas components(0%, 5%, and 10% oxygen mixed in argon). The dependence of Ar metastable state density on the oxygen content is also studied at different working pressures. It is found that densities of Ar metastable states in discharges with different gas components exhibit different behaviors as HF power increases. With the increase of HF power, the metastable density increases rapidly at the initial stage, and then tends to be saturated at a higher HF power. With a small fraction(5% or 10%) of oxygen added in argon plasma, a similar change of the Ar metastable density with HF power can be observed, but the metastable density is saturated at a higher HF power than in the pure argon discharge. In the DF-CCP, the metastable density is found to be higher than in a single frequency discharge, and has weak dependence on LF power. As working pressure increases, the metastable state density first increases and then decreases,and the pressure value, at which the density maximum occurs, decreases with oxygen content increasing. Besides, adding a small fraction of oxygen into argon plasma will significantly dwindle the metastable state density as a result of quenching loss by oxygen molecules.     

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将等离子体作为磁流体,考虑其流体属性和电磁属性,介绍了利用FLUENT软件包并将其进行二次开发,解算电磁场方程、质量连续性方程、动量守恒方程、以及能量守恒方程的数值模拟方法,得到了以磁矢势为表达形式的电磁场分布、温度分布和速度分布.数值模拟了粉末球化所用的感应耦合等离子体炬电磁场分布、温度分布、速度分布.分析了温度分布、速度分布产生的物理原因,为感应耦合等离子体炬球化粉末颗粒提供理论性指导.