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Effect of Power Modulation on Radical Concentration and Uniformity in a Single-Wafer Plasma Reactor

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Abstract

The effect of power modulation on radical concentration and uniformity in a single-wafer plasma reactor was investigated with a radical transport and reaction model. Plasma etching of silicon using tetrafluoromethane under relatively high pressure (~1 torr) high frequency (13.56 M Hz) conditions was taken as an example system. Gas velocity, temperature, and radical concentration profiles were obtained numerically by a finite element method. When compared to a continuous wave plasma, power modulation can alter the relative concelllration of radicals and in turn the etch rate and uniformity as well as selectivity and anisotropy. Uniformity is improved by power modulation except at high flow rates which, however, result in poor utilization of the feedstock gas.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the National Science Foundation (CTS-9216023) and the Texas Advanced Technology Program for financial support of this work. Also, thanks are due to the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center (supported by NSF) for a Cray C90 time grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plasma Processing Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston sTexas, 77204-4792

    Ping Jiang & Demetre J. Economou

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 441-749, Korea

    Chee Burm Shin

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  1. Ping Jiang
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  2. Demetre J. Economou
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  3. Chee Burm Shin
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Jiang, P., Economou, D.J. & Shin, C.B. Effect of Power Modulation on Radical Concentration and Uniformity in a Single-Wafer Plasma Reactor. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 15, 383–408 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01650736

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01650736

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