2/23/2017 TheImportanceofDCSelfBiasVoltageinPlasmaApplications

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TheImportanceofDCSelfBiasVoltageinPlasmaApplications
PostedbyJaninePowellonWed,Jun01,2016@06:06AM

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Inreactiveionetching(RIE)plasmaprocesses,theparameterknownasDCselfbiasvoltageisanimportantcontrolknobforthe
ionenergy.Dependingonthespecificapplication,theprocessengineercanmanipulatethisparameterforthedesiredeffect.
Generallyspeaking,ahigherDCselfbiasleadstoahigherrateofionetching.

WhenanRFelectricfieldisappliedtoavacuumchamber,theelectronsaredrivenbackandforthbytheelectricfieldandhitthe
poweredelectrodeeveryalternatinghalfoftheRFcycle.Ablockingcapacitor,normallyavailableintheTuningNetwork,actsas
conductorfortheRFACfieldbutalsoactsasanisolatorforaselfinducedDCfield.Theimpingingofelectronsonthepowered
electrodeallowthebuildupofanegativeDCfieldinadditiontotheACfield.ThisnegativepotentialistheDCselfbias.

Figure1belowshowsthetypicalplasmadistributionacrossthechamberanditstimeaveragedvaluesofelectricalpotentialsinthe
steadystate.Inthefigure,regionsAandBaretheionsheathswhicharetypicallyafewmillimetersthinlayersthatsitbetweenthe
plasmabulkandtheelectrodes(ChamberwallsAnodeandPoweredelectrodeCathode).

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2/23/2017 TheImportanceofDCSelfBiasVoltageinPlasmaApplications

Thesheaththicknessisinverselyproportionaltotheplasmadensityandtheprocessoperatingpressure.

Figure1:Illustrationofplasmadistribution(GroundedChamber)andelectricalpotential(Electrode)inareactiveionetching
process.

Theplasmabulkisatahigherpotentialthantheelectrode.Ionsconstantlybombardtheelectrodeinresponsetothepotential
difference.Alargequantityofions,presentintheplasma,cannotreactquicklytotheRFfieldbuttheDCselfbiasacceleratesthem
towardsthepoweredelectrode.Theseionsacquireanaverageenergy(eV)equivalenttothesumofDCselfbiasVdc andthe
plasmapotentialVpp(DCBIAS=Vdc +Vpp)[1].

FactorsInfluencingDCSelfBias
ThefactorsthatinfluenceDCselfbiasare:

Ratiobetweenthesurfaceareasofthegroundandpoweredelectrodes
Chamberpressure,beingthattheselfbiasisinverselyproportional
RFforwardpower,beingthattheselfbiasisproportional
Typeofgas

Whendesigningaplasmasystem,typicallythemechanicaldesignofthechamberisdrivenbyfactorslikeproductsizeandquantity,
requiredthroughput,typeofplasma,andsoon.Forthisreason,oncedesigned,theratiobetweentheanodeandcathodecanno
longerbechanged.Thislimitationmayaffecttheoverallqualityofdesignoftheplasmasystem,asonlythisfactorcanmakethe
differencebetweenahighlyefficientorpoorlyefficientsystem.

TheDCselfbiasvoltagecanbeincreasedbyreducingthechamberpressure.Itsdependenceonpressureisrelatedtothemean
freepathofelectronswhichdefinestheaveragedistancetheparticletravelsbeforeencounteringacollision.Alargermeanfreepath
willresultinahigherDCselfbiasvoltageanditsinverseproportionalitytopressureisdefinedbythekinetictheoryofgas[2].

TheRFforwardpowercontributestoaproportionalincreaseofthedcselfbias.Thoughthismaybeseenasalinearcontribution,in
realitytheratioofproportionalitymayvaryaccordingtocurrentprocesspressure.

Finally,thetypeofgasthatisusedintheprocesswillalsoyieldadifferentresult.Figure2belowshowsanexamplewheretheDC
selfbiaschangesinareactorwhereallvariablesaremaintained,withtheexceptionofthegastype.Duetolowerelectrondensity
andhigherelectrontemperature,theselfbiasvoltageinAr/Cl2plasmaishighercomparedtopureArplasma[3].

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2/23/2017 TheImportanceofDCSelfBiasVoltageinPlasmaApplications

Figure2:SelfbiasdependenceonthepressureforpureArandAr/Cl2 mixtureplasmaforthesamediameterelectrode[3]

WhiletheDCselfbiasmakesionbombardmentatthepowerelectrodemuchmoreeffectivethanatthegroundelectrode,some
applicationswanttoavoidtheaggressiveionetchinginordertopreventdamageonionsensitiveproducts.Thiscanbedoneby
takingthegroundelectrodeastheproductplatformforaplasmaetching(PE)process.

Plasmaetchingiswidelyusedinmildetchingprocessesandinplasmacleaning.Theproductistypicallysittingonagroundedor
floatingpotentialholderandiscompletelyimmersedintheplasmacloud.

Especiallyinchemicalplasmas,theexposuretoalargequantityofradicalspresentintheplasmacloudcanyieldverysatisfying
resultsintermsofetchand/orsurfaceactivation.

SCIAutomationPteLtddesignsandmanufacturesveryhighqualityplasmasystemswhichhavetheflexibilitytoswitchbetweenRIE
andPEprocesses,bothwithveryhighuniformityingasandRFdistributions.Anotherconfigurationthatwesupplyisdownstream
plasmawheretheionsandelectronsarefilteredoutbyaFaradayGrid,leavingastreamoffreeradicalsandneutralspeciestothe
productforionfreeplasma.DownstreamplasmacanalsobeeffectivelyusedtofilteroutunwantedUVradiation.Special
downstreamdesignsallowustocreateefficientiontrapandUVtrapconfigurations.Wewillintroducethissystemandits
applicationsinanupcomingblog.

SCIAutomationPlasmaCleanersandetchingsystemscombinetheprocessstrength,ionefficiencyandthroughputtoqualifythem
asbestinclassequipment.Withover16yearsofexperience,SCIAutomationisyourqualifiedpartnerforplasmacleaning
applications.Feelfreetosharewithusyourapplicationrequirements.

DownloadtheSCIAutomationDataSheetsformoreinformationonplasmacleaningsystems:

Dr.EnricoMalatesta
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2/23/2017 TheImportanceofDCSelfBiasVoltageinPlasmaApplications

CEO
SCIAutomationPte.Ltd.Singapore

DennisTeeXianYang(PhDPhysics)
CustomerApplicationSupport
SCIAutomationPte.Ltd.Singapore

Topics:RFdevices,SCIAutomation,plasmacleaning

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2/23/2017 TheImportanceofDCSelfBiasVoltageinPlasmaApplications

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