Modeling of dual frequency capacitively coupled plasma sources utilizing a full-wave Maxwell solver: I. Scaling with high frequency

Abstract

Dual frequency capacitively coupled plasma (DF-CCP) tools for etching and deposition for microelectronics fabrication typically use a high frequency (HF, tens to hundreds of MHz) to sustain the plasma and a low frequency (LF, a few to 10 MHz) for ion acceleration into the wafer. With an increase in both the HF and wafer size, electromagnetic wave effects (i.e. propagation, constructive and destructive interference) can affect the spatial distribution of power deposition and reactive fluxes to the wafer. In this paper, results from a two-dimensional computational investigation of a DF-CCP reactor, incorporating a full-wave solution of Maxwell's equations, are discussed. As in single frequency CCPs, the electron density transitions from edge high to center high with increasing HF. This transition is analyzed by correlating the spatial variation of the phase, magnitude and wavelength of the HF electric field to the spatial variation of the electron energy distributions and ionization sources. This transition is sensitive to the gas mixture, particularly those containing electronegative gases due to the accompany change in conductivity. The consequences of these wave effects on the ion energy distributions incident onto the wafer are also discussed.