Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Ion Energy Distributions and Sheath Voltages in Radio-Frequency-Biased, Inductively-Coupled, High-Density Plasma Reactor

Published

Author(s)

Mark A. Sobolewski, James K. Olthoff, Yicheng Wang

Abstract

Ion energy distributions were measured at a grounded surface in an inductively-coupled, high-density plasma reactor for pure argon, argon-helium, and argon-xenon discharges at 1.33 Pa (10 mTorr), as a function of radio-frequency (rf) bias amplitude, rf bias frequency, radial position, inductive source power, and ion mass. The ground sheath voltage which accelerates the ions was also determined using capacitive probe measurements and Langmuir probe data. Together, the measurements provide a complete characterization of ion dynamics in the sheath, allowing ion transit time effects to be distinguished from sheath impedance effects. Models are presented which describe both effects and explain why they are observed in the same range of rf bias frequency.
Citation
Journal of Applied Physics
Volume
85
Issue
No. 8

Keywords

discharge, high-density plasma, ion energy, model, plasma, radio frequency, sheath, voltage

Citation

Sobolewski, M. , Olthoff, J. and Wang, Y. (1999), Ion Energy Distributions and Sheath Voltages in Radio-Frequency-Biased, Inductively-Coupled, High-Density Plasma Reactor, Journal of Applied Physics (Accessed March 29, 2024)
Created April 1, 1999, Updated February 17, 2017