Multiscale Modeling of Low Pressure Plasma Etching Processes: Linking the Operating Parameters of the Plasma Reactor with Surface Roughness Evolution

Abstract

Α multiscale modeling framework, linking the operating parameters of a low pressure plasma reactor with the surface roughness being formed on the etched substrate, is developed. It consists of a) a reactor scale model, which calculates densities, energies, and fields in the reactor, b) a Monte Carlo (MC) particle tracing model, which calculates the ion energy and angular distributions on the substrate, and c) a MC surface model, which calculates the evolution of the surface morphology during etching. The case study is etching of polymeric substrates with Ar plasma in the GEC reactor. Based on a generic surface model, the effects of the operating conditions (pressure, power) on the roughness are investigated. The potential for non‐uniform and anisotropic roughness along the wafer radial direction is demonstrated.