Influence of plasma density and plasma sheath dynamics on the ion implantation by plasma immersion technique

Abstract

Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) is a new technique for surface modifications of materials. In contrast to conventional ion implantation techniques the target is surrounded by the plasma and then pulse biased to high negative voltages. The implantation dose and homogeneity are essentially dependent on plasma density and plasma sheath dynamics. In this paper we present measurements on plasma density and sheath expansion. The plasma is generated in a rf ion source with inductive coupling (13.56 MHz) and diffuses into the target processing chamber. Carbon targets are implanted with Ar ions and analysed by RBS analysis.