Plasma parameters and etching mechanisms of metals and semiconductors in hydrogen chloride

Abstract

The parameters and steady state composition of HCl plasma are investigated under dc glow discharge conditions (p = 30–250 Pa and ip = 10–30 mA)). The simulation of plasma has shown that the balance of neutral particles is largely determined by radical-chain processes. It is shown that dissociative attachment of electrons to HClV > 0 does not have a crucial effect on the kinetics of generation and loss of charged particles. The concentrations of neutral and ionic components of the plasma are calculated; the validity of these calculations is confirmed by the satisfactory agreement between experimental and computed values of the reduced field strength and the flux density of positive ions incident onto the surface of a discharge tube. A model analysis is carried out of the effect of external discharge parameters on the kinetics of interaction between the active particles of plasma and the surface.