Effect of gas properties on the dynamics of the electrical slope asymmetry effect in capacitive plasmas : comparison of Ar, H2 and CF4

Tailored voltage excitation waveforms provide an efficient control of the ion energy (through the electrical asymmetry effect) in capacitive plasmas by varying the 'amplitude' asymmetry of the waveform. In this work, the effect of a 'slope' asymmetry of the waveform is investigated by using sawtooth-like waveforms, through which the sheath dynamic can be manipulated. A remarkably different discharge dynamic is found for Ar, H2, and CF4 gases, which is explained by the different dominant electron heating mechanisms and plasma chemistries. In comparison to Argon we find that the electrical asymmetry can even be reversed by using an electronegative gas such as CF4. Phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy measurements, probing the spatiotemporal distribution of the excitation rate show excellent agreement with the results of particle-in-cell simulations, confirming the high degree of correlation between the excitation rates with the dominant heating mechanisms in the various gases. It is shown that, depending on the gas used, sawtooth-like voltage waveforms may cause a strong asymmetry

Tailored voltage waveform capacitively coupled plasmas in electronegative gases : frequency dependence of asymmetry effects

Capacitively coupled radio frequency plasmas operated in an electronegative gas (CF4) and driven by voltage waveforms composed of four consecutive harmonics are investigated for different fundamental driving frequencies using PIC/MCC simulations and an analytical model. As has been observed previously for electropositive gases, the application of peak-shaped waveforms (that are characterized by a strong amplitude asymmetry) results in the development of a DC self-bias due to the electrical asymmetry effect (EAE), which increases the energy of ions arriving at the powered electrode. In contrast to the electropositive case (Korolov et al 2012 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 45 465202) the absolute value of the DC self-bias is found to increase as the fundamental frequency is reduced in this electronegative discharge, providing an increased range over which the DC self-bias can be controlled. The analytical model reveals that this increased DC self-bias is caused by changes in the spatial profile and the mean value of the net charge density in the grounded electrode sheath. The spatio-temporally resolved simulation data show that as the frequency is reduced the grounded electrode sheath region becomes electronegative. The presence of negative ions in this sheath leads to very different dynamics of the power absorption of electrons, which in turn enhances the local electronegativity and plasma density via ionization and attachment processes. The ion flux to the grounded electrode (where the ion energy is lowest) can be up to twice that to the powered electrode. At the same time, while the mean ion energies at both electrodes are quite different, their ratio remains approximately constant for all base frequencies studied here

Slope and amplitude asymmetry effects on low frequency capacitively coupled carbon tetrafluoride plasmas

We report investigations of capacitively coupled carbon tetrafluoride (CF4) plasmas excited with tailored voltage waveforms containing up to five harmonics of a base frequency of 5.5 MHz. The impact of both the slope asymmetry, and the amplitude asymmetry, of these waveforms on the discharge is examined by combining experiments with particle-in-cell simulations. For all conditions studied herein, the discharge is shown to operate in the drift-ambipolar mode, where a comparatively large electric field in the plasma bulk (outside the sheaths) is the main mechanism for electron power absorption leading to ionization. We show that both types of waveform asymmetries strongly influence the ion energy at the electrodes, with the particularity of having the highest ion flux on the electrode where the lowest ion energy is observed. Even at the comparatively high pressure (600 mTorr) and low fundamental frequency of 5.5 MHz used here, tailoring the voltage waveforms is shown to efficiently create an asymmetry of both the ion energy and the ion flux in geometrically symmetric reactors

Electron power absorption dynamics in capacitive radio frequency discharges driven by tailored voltage waveforms in CF4

The power absorption dynamics of electrons and the electrical asymmetry effect in capacitive radio-frequency plasmas operated in CF4 and driven by tailored voltage waveforms are investigated experimentally in combination with kinetic simulations. The driving voltage waveforms are generated as a superposition of multiple consecutive harmonics of the fundamental frequency of 13.56 MHz. Peaks/valleys and sawtooth waveforms are used to study the effects of amplitude and slope asymmetries of the driving voltage waveform on the electron dynamics and the generation of a DC self-bias in an electronegative plasma at different pressures. Compared to electropositive discharges, we observe strongly different effects and unique power absorption dynamics. At high pressures and high electronegativities, the discharge is found to operate in the drift-ambipolar (DA) heating mode. A dominant excitation/ionization maximum is observed during sheath collapse at the edge of the sheath which collapses fastest. High negative-ion densities are observed inside this sheath region, while electrons are confined for part of the RF period in a potential well formed by the ambipolar electric field at this sheath edge and the collapsed (floating potential) sheath at the electrode. For specific driving voltage waveforms, the plasma becomes divided spatially into two different halves of strongly different electronegativity. This asymmetry can be reversed electrically by inverting the driving waveform. For sawtooth waveforms, the discharge asymmetry and the sign of the DC self-bias are found to reverse as the pressure is increased, due to a transition of the electron heating mode from the α-mode to the DA-mode. These effects are interpreted with the aid of the simulation results

Controlling plasma properties under differing degrees of electronegativity using odd harmonic dual frequency excitation

International audienceThe charged particle dynamics in low-pressure oxygen plasmas excited by odd harmonic dual frequency waveforms (low frequency of 13.56 MHz and high frequency of 40.68 MHz) are investigated using a one-dimensional numerical simulation in regimes of both low and high electronegativity. In the low electronegativity regime, the time and space averaged electron and negative ion densities are approximately equal and plasma sustainment is dominated by ionisation at the sheath expansion for all combinations of low and high frequency and the phase shift between them. In the high electronegativity regime, the negative ion density is a factor of 15--20 greater than the low electronegativity cases. In these cases, plasma sustainment is dominated by ionisation inside the bulk plasma and at the collapsing sheath edge when the contribution of the high frequency to the overall voltage waveform is low. As the high frequency component contribution to the waveform increases, sheath expansion ionisation begins to dominate. It is found that the control of the average voltage drop across the plasma sheath and the average ion flux to the powered electrode are similar in both regimes of electronegativity, despite the differing electron dynamics using the considered dual frequency approach. This offers potential for similar control of ion dynamics under a range of process conditions, independent of the electronegativity. This is in contrast to ion control offered by electrically asymmetric waveforms where the relationship between the ion flux and ion bombardment energy is dependent upon the electronegativity

Phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy: a non-intrusive diagnostic to study electron dynamics in capacitive radio frequency discharges Phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy: a non-intrusive diagnostic to study electron dynamics in capacitive

Abstract Various types of capacitively coupled radio frequency (CCRF) discharges are frequently used for different applications ranging from chip and solar cell manufacturing to the creation of biocompatible surfaces. In many of these discharges electron heating and electron dynamics are not fully understood. A powerful diagnostic to study electron dynamics in CCRF discharges is phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy (PROES). It is non-intrusive and provides access to the dynamics of highly energetic electrons, which sustain the discharge via ionization, with high spatial and temporal resolution within the RF period. Based on a time dependent model of the excitation dynamics of specifically chosen rare gas levels PROES provides access to plasma parameters such as the electron temperature, electron density and electron energy distribution function (EEDF). In this work the method of PROES is reviewed and some examples of its application are discussed. First, the generation of highly energetic electron beams by the expanding sheath in geometrically symmetric as well as asymmetric discharges and their effect on the EEDF are investigated. Second, the physical nature of the frequency coupling in dual frequency discharges operated at substantially different frequencies is discussed. Third, the generation of electric field reversals during sheath collapse in single and dual frequency discharges is analysed. Then excitation dynamics in an electrically asymmetric novel type of dual frequency discharge is studied. Finally, limitations of PROES are discussed

Electron heating via self-excited plasma series resonance in geometrically symmetric multi-frequency capacitive plasmas

The self-excitation of plasma series resonance (PSR) oscillations plays an important role in the electron heating dynamics in capacitively coupled radio-frequency (CCRF) plasmas. In a combined approach of PIC/MCC simulations and a theoretical model based on an equivalent circuit, we investigate the self-excitation of PSR oscillations and their effect on the electron heating in geometrically symmetric CCRF plasmas driven by multiple consecutive harmonics. The discharge symmetry is controlled via the electrical asymmetry effect (EAE), i.e. by varying the total number of harmonics and tuning the phase shifts between them. It is demonstrated that PSR oscillations will be self-excited under both symmetric and asymmetric conditions, if (i) the charge–voltage relation of the plasma sheaths deviates from a simple quadratic behavior and (ii) the inductance of the plasma bulk exhibits a temporal modulation. These two effects have been neglected up to now, but we show that they must be included in the model in order to properly describe the nonlinear series resonance circuit and reproduce the self-excitation of PSR oscillations, which are observed in the electron current density resulting from simulations of geometrically symmetric CCRF plasmas. Furthermore, the effect of PSR self-excitation on the discharge current and the plasma properties, such as the potential profile, is illustrated by applying Fourier analysis. High- frequency oscillations in the entire spectrum between the applied frequencies and the local electron plasma frequency are observed. As a consequence, the electron heating is strongly enhanced by the presence of PSR oscillations. A complex electron heating dynamics is found during the expansion phase of the sheath, which is fully collapsed, when the PSR is initially self-excited. The nonlinear electron resonance heating (NERH) associated with the PSR oscillations causes a spatial asymmetry in the electron heating. By discussing the resulting ionization profile in the nonlocal regime of low-pressure CCRF plasmas, we examine why the ion flux at both electrodes remains approximately constant, independently of the phase shifts