Plasma parameter

Various data sources (44) on plasma parameters can be used to calculate conditions for plasma excitation and resulting properties for microwave coupling. Interactions ia a d-c magnetic field are more compHcated and offer a rich array of means for microwave power transfer (45). The Hterature offers many data sources for dielectric or magnetic permittivities or permeabiHty of materials (30,31,46). Because these properties vary considerably with frequency and temperature, available experimental data are iasufficient to satisfy all proposed appHcations. In these cases, available theories can be appHed or the dielectric parameters can be determined experimentally (47). 

Figure 12. Variation of the plasma parameters of a CH4/H2 plasma with pressure, (a) Plasma potential, (b) Electron temperature, (c) Electron density. Reprinted with permission from [88], K. Okada et al., /. Vac. Sci. TechnoL, A 17, 721 (1999). 1999, American Institute of Physics.

Figure 14. Variation of the plasma parameters of a CH4/CO/H2 plasma with [CO] content, (a) Plasma potential, (b) Electron temperature, (c) Electron density.

Relation between Plasma Parameters and Material Properties.108... 

A plasma process is characterized by many parameters, and their interrelations are very complex. It is of paramount importance to understand, at least to a first approximation, how the plasma parameters have to be adjusted when the geometrical dimensions of the plasma system are enlarged. Especially of use in scaling up systems are scaling laws, as formulated by Goedheeret al. [148, 149] (see also Section 1.3.2.2). 

Plasma analysis is essential in order to compare plasma parameters with simulated or calculated parameters. From the optical emission of the plasma one may infer pathways of chemical reactions in the plasma. Electrical measurements with electrostatic probes are able to verify the electrical properties of the plasma. Further, mass spectrometry on neutrals, radicals, and ions, either present in or coming out of the plasma, will elucidate even more of the chemistry involved, and will shed at least some light on the relation between plasma and material properties. Together with ellipsometry experiments, all these plasma analysis techniques provide a basis for the model of deposition. 

Luft and Tsuo have presented a qualitative summary of the effects of various plasma parameters on the properties of the deposited a-Si H [6]. These generalized trends are very useful in designing deposition systems. It should be borne in mind, however, that for each individual deposition system the optimum conditions for obtaining device quality material have to be determined by empirical fine tuning. The most important external controls that are available for tuning the deposition processs are the power (or power density), the total pressure, the gas flow(s), and the substrate temperature. In the following the effects of each parameter on material properties will be discussed. 

A systematic study of the role of the ions in the deposition process and their influence on the quality of the layers has been performed by Hamers et al. [163, 301, 332] in the ASTER deposition system. More specifically, a study has been made on the relation between the plasma parameters and the material properties in both the a- and the y -regime at typical deposition conditions. Here, the... 

FIG. 44. Plasma parameters as deduced from the lEDs and material properties as a function of power delivered to the SiHa-Ar discharge at an excitation frequency of 50 MHz and a pressure of 0.4 mbar (a) the plasma potential Vp (circles) and dc self bias (triangles), (b) the sheath thickness d, (c) the maximum ion flux r ax. (d) the growth rate r,/. (e) the microstructure parameter R. and (f) the refractive index ni ev- (Compiled from E. A. G. Hamers. Ph.D. Thesis, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands. 1998.)... 

A particularly attractive potential of plasma based methods is the ability to vary, continuously or discretely, the nature of the material deposited by varying the plasma parameters (eg flow rates, gas composition, power input, substrate temperature etc). This, of course, applies to organic as well as inorganic materials ( 3). This aspect of interface control is not yet well developed but is an exciting prospect. 

Plasma Synthesis The use of plasma methods has lead to a new range of materials having unique properties. An example is the family of amorphous elemental hydrides (eg cr-C H Of -Si H or-P H) which contain a variable proportion of H from almost zero to 50 atomic %. The carbon films, known variously as "hard carbon", "diamond-like carbon", " a-carbon" etc (9 ) - These layers are of considerable interest because of their optical and abrasion-resistant properties etc (Table I). The properties of these Gr-carbon films, can be tailored by modifying the plasma parameters. 

Fig. 30. SIMS plots of total deuterium density for silicon specimens with various boron concentrations, deuterated by plasma gases at 300°C. Full curves are the most recent measurements (Johnson, 1989), with deuteration time of one hour in all cases. Dashed curves are typical older data (Johnson, 1987), for which the plasma parameters may have slightly different the deuteration time for each of these was two hours. Each curve is labeled with its boron concentration in atoms/cm3. All sample surfaces were prepared in the same manner as those of Fig. 29.

C. Parameter Control At present, the most serious impediment to routine use of plasma etching is the large number of parameters that affect the process. As noted, both gas phase considerations and plasma-surface interactions must be controlled. The problem is illustrated in Figure 7 32). Naturally, if the basic plasma parameters (A, /(e), r) could be con-... 

Many of these investigations used a second laser and the methods described above to probe the plasma parameters and their changes on a nanosecond scale 265). 

A very common and useful approach to studying the plasma polymerization process is the careful characterization of the polymer films produced. A specific property of the films is then measured as a function of one or more of the plasma parameters and mechanistic explanations are then derived from such a study. Some of the properties of plasma-polymerized thin films which have been measured include electrical conductivity, tunneling phenomena and photoconductivity, capacitance, optical constants, structure (IR absorption and ESCA), surface tension, free radical density (ESR), surface topography and reverse osmosis characteristics. So far relatively few of these measurements were made with the objective of determining mechanisms of plasma polymerization. The motivation in most instances was a specific application of the thin films. Considerable emphasis on correlations between mass spectroscopy in polymerizing plasmas and ESCA on polymer films with plasma polymerization mechanisms will be given later in this chapter based on recent work done in this laboratory. 

Unfortunately, a minority of the patients with peroxisomal dysfunction cannot be diagnosed using plasma parameters. In the authors laboratory, patients have been seen with peroxisome biogenesis defects, D-bifunctional protein deficiency, and acyl-CoA oxidase deficiency in whom no abnormalities of plasma VLCFA, phytanic acid, pristanic acid or bile acids could be established. Hence, a strong clinical suspicion of peroxisomal disease should always be verified by fibroblast investigation, regardless of the outcome of plasma analyses. 

In addition to the ratio of electrode areas, other plasma parameters can... 

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