Impact of phase lag on uniformity in pulsed capacitively coupled plasmas

Journal Article · Mon Jul 11 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3610466· OSTI ID:22027670

Agarwal, Ankur; Rauf, Shahid; Collins, Ken ^[1]

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1. Applied Materials Inc., 974 E. Arques Avenue, M/S 81517, Sunnyvale, California 94085 (United States)

Process uniformity of macro-scale parameters such as electron and ion densities is critical during any plasma process. Pulsed operation of multiple frequency capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs) has been shown to improve profile characteristics of features during plasma etching. In this work, we consider pulsing of both power sources in a dual frequency CCP. The impact of phase lag between the high frequency and low frequency power pulses on plasma uniformity is examined using a two-dimensional computational plasma model. Results for Ar/CF{sub 4} gas mixture indicate that phase lag allows one to control plasma uniformity by modulating the time for which the high or low frequency source is on.

• OSTI ID: 22027670
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 99, Issue 2; Other Information: (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ARGON
CARBON TETRAFLUORIDE
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRONS
ETCHING
HIGH-FREQUENCY DISCHARGES
ION DENSITY
MIXTURES
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA SIMULATION
PULSES
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS