Abstract
The interaction of plasmas with surfaces is dominated by synergistic effects between incident ions and radicals. Film growth is accelerated by the ions, providing adsorption sites for incoming radicals. Chemical etching is accelerated by incident ions when chemical etching products are removed from the surface by ion sputtering. The latter is the essence of anisotropic etching in microelectronics, as elucidated by the seminal paper of Coburn and Winters [J. Appl. Phys. 50, 3189 (1979)]. However, ion-radical-synergisms play also an important role in a multitude of other systems, which are described in this article: (1) hydrocarbon thin film growth from methyl radicals and hydrogen atoms; (2) hydrocarbon thin film etching by ions and reactive neutrals; (3) plasma inactivation of bacteria; (4) plasma treatment of polymers; and (5) oxidation mechanisms during reactive magnetron sputtering of metal targets. All these mechanisms are unraveled by using a particle beam experiment to mimic the plasma–surface interface with the advantage of being able to control the species fluxes independently. It clearly shows that the mechanisms in action that had been described by Coburn and Winters [J. Appl. Phys. 50, 3189 (1979)] are ubiquitous.
Highlights
(UHV) environment with independent control of their fluxes and energies
Ion-radical-synergisms play an important role in a multitude of other systems, which are described in this article: (1) hydrocarbon thin film growth from methyl radicals and hydrogen atoms; (2) hydrocarbon thin film etching by ions and reactive neutrals; (3) plasma inactivation of bacteria; (4) plasma treatment of polymers; and (5) oxidation mechanisms during reactive magnetron sputtering of metal targets
Besides the determination of fundamental parameters, beam experiments are able to elucidate mechanisms such as chemical sputtering, as it was introduced by the pioneering work by Winters
Summary
The most famous example of such a particle beam approach was presented by the pioneering work by Coburn and Winters on reactive etching of silicon. They showed that the etch rate of silicon or silicon oxide is significantly enhanced if reactive fluorine species and ions impact on the surface simultaneously. The most famous example of such a particle beam approach was presented by the pioneering work by Coburn and Winters on reactive etching of silicon.1,2 They showed that the etch rate of silicon or silicon oxide is significantly enhanced if reactive fluorine species and ions impact on the surface simultaneously. A prominent example is the ion-enhanced oxidation and the ion-induced secondary electron emission (SEE) from metal and metal oxide targets that can be described by an extension of Berg’s magnetron sputter hysteresis model.5,6 All these systems and mechanisms are elucidated by using a particle beam experiment to mimic the plasma–surface interface. It clearly shows that the ion-neutral synergisms at the plasma–surface interface are ubiquitous, as already pioneered by Coburn and Winters
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