Use of radio frequency bias in the large area plasma processing system

Abstract

In the large-area plasma processing system (LAPPS) scheme, rf bias can be used for either of two purposes: to provide energetic ion bombardment of a substrate, or to controllably raise the electron temperature (which is intrinsically very cool) to a desired value. The physics of rf bias in the LAPPS differs from the situation in conventional processing reactors for several reasons: (1) The plasma density adjacent to the substrate can be so high that the ion plasma frequency exceeds the microwave frequency. (2) Plasma transport to the substrate is across a magnetic field. (3) Ionization occurs only in a thin, well-defined planar sheet, and thus the volume occupied by plasma is very broad in two dimensions but thin in the third dimension. (4) The surface area of the substrate is comparable to that of the containment vessel. We discuss the modifications to the theory of rf bias that are needed to account for these factors in a LAPPS plasma.