Effects of Gas Pressure on the Plasma Properties in a Radial Small Size Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactor

• Published in: IEEE transactions on plasma science 2019-08, Vol.47 (8), p.4026-4031
• Main Authors: Zhang, Ling, Chen, Guo, Ai, Xing, He, Xiao-Shan, He, Zhi-Bing, Tang, Yong-Jian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Association reactions; Cylinders; Deposition; Discharges (electric); Economic indicators; Electron density; Electron energy; Electrons; Gas pressure; Glow discharges; heating mode transition; Heating systems; Inductively coupled plasma; inductively coupled plasma (ICP); Inductors; Kinetic theory; Kinetics; Mathematical analysis; Maxwellian distribution; Plasma; plasma properties; Plasmas; Polymer films; Pressure effects; Radio frequency; Reaction kinetics; Reactors; Thin films; Transition pressure
• ISSN: 0093-3813; 1939-9375
• DOI: 10.1109/TPS.2019.2925568

To improve the technology of glow discharge polymer (GDP) thin film deposition and provide theoretical support for the deposition mechanism of GDP thin films, the plasma properties in a special cylinder (radial small size) inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor were investigated. High electron energy was observed in this reactor in contrast to radial large reactors. The electron energy relaxation length \lambda _{\varepsilon } in the elastic range was calculated to determine the electron kinetics transition pressure. The electron energy probability functions were found to change from a bi-Maxwellian distribution to a Maxwellian distribution and then into a Druyvesteyn-like distribution. Furthermore, we observed the association ions \text{Ar}^{+}(+ Ar) generated by ion-molecule association reactions. In addition, the profiles of plasma parameters, such as the plasma potential V_{p} , the electron density n_{e} , and the effective electron temperature T_{\mathrm {eff}} , were experimentally investigated with increasing gas pressure.