The plasma structure and physical function of a narrow gap reactive ion etcher (RIE), consisting of capacitively coupled parallel plates driven at 100 MHz, have been predicted in a proper manner by an extended relaxation continuum model including gas flow and sputtered particle transport from the substrate. Monitoring the spatiotemporal excitation rate gives validity to the use of the continuum model even at 50 mTorr under higher power condition mainly maintained by an ionization multiplication of the secondary electrons ejected from the powered electrode by ion impacts. The plasma structures are testified by comparing the two-dimensional net excitation rate of Ar(3p5) with the experimental computerized tomography image. A nonvolatile particle transport successive to the physical etching on the substrate has been predicted in the RIE under a feed gas flow.
We show a series of two-dimensional (2D) space distributions of submicron insulating particles in Ar rf-capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) as a function of time after injection by using a fluid model under the external conditions of 102 sccm < flow rate < 105 sccm and 10-8 m < particle radius < 10-5 m at 13.56 MHz in Ar. The final density profile is strongly dependent on the flow rate. For low flow rates, the profile of density is disk shaped at low pressure and dome shaped at high pressure. As the flow rate increases, the profile becomes ring shaped, and finally all particles are exhausted. There is a linear relation between the flow rate and the minimum radius of a particle which can be exhausted. It was found that high pressure, low voltage and strong gas flow are the most effective for the purpose of exhausting particles from the reactor.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.