Electron Collision Cross Sections for the BF3 Molecule and Electron Transport Coefficients in BF3--Ar and BF3--SiH4 Mixtures

• Published in: Journal of the Physical Society of Japan 2013-03, Vol.82 (3), p.034301-034301-8
• Main Authors: Hien, Pham Xuan, Jeon, Byung-Hoon, Tuan, Do Anh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0031-9015; 1347-4073
• DOI: 10.7566/JPSJ.82.034301

A consistent set of low-energy electron collision cross sections for the boron trifluoride (BF 3 ) molecule has been derived from the measured electron transport coefficients for a pure BF 3 molecule using an electron swarm study and a two-term approximation of the Boltzmann equation for energy. The electron transport coefficients, which were calculated using the derived set, are consistent with the experimental data over a wide range of $E/N$ values (ratio of the electric field $E$ to the neutral number density $N$). The present set of electron collision cross sections for the BF 3 molecule, therefore, is the best available so far for the quantitative numerical modeling of plasma discharges for processing procedures with materials containing BF 3 molecules. The electron-transport coefficients for BF 3 --Ar and BF 3 --SiH 4 mixtures were also calculated and analyzed in a wide range of $E/N$ ratios for the first time. The presence of a remarkable synergism in the Townsend first ionization coefficient has been pointed out in BF 3 --SiH 4 mixtures.