Jonas Giesekus | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Control of Electron Energy Distribution Functions by Current Waveform Tailoring in Inductively Coupled Radio Frequency Plasmas

Based on two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations a novel approach towards Electron Energy Probability Function (EEPF) and plasma chemistry control by Current Waveform Tailoring (CWT) in the coil of inductively coupled discharges is proposed. Varying the shape of this current waveform provides electrical control of the dynamics of the electric field in the plasma. Using sawtooth instead of sinusoidal waveforms allows breaking and controlling the temporal symmetry of the electric field dynamics. In this way CWT allows controlling the EEPF, the ionization-to-excitation rate ratio, and the plasma chemistry.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

Multi-diagnostic characterization of inductively coupled discharges with tailored waveform substrate bias for precise control of plasma etching

Precise control of ion energy distribution functions (IEDF) is crucial for selectivity as well as control over sputter rate and substrate damage in nanoscale plasma processes. In this work, a low frequency (100 kHz) tailored pulse-wave-shaped bias voltage waveform is applied to the substrate electrode of an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and its effects on the IEDF, electron density, electron dynamics and the etch rates of silicon dioxide as well as amorphous silicon are investigated in a commercial 200 mm reactive ion etching (RIE) reactor. While the tailored waveform substrate bias hardly affects the electron density above the substrate and the spatio-temporally resolved electron power absorption dynamics, it is found to affect the ion flux to the substrate at high ICP source powers. Monoenergetic IEDFs with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) below 10 eV are realized with mean ion energies ranging from 20 eV to 100 eV in both argon and SF6. Such monoenergetic IEDFs are used to determine the Ar ion sputter threshold energies of amorphous silicon and silicon dioxide to be 23 eV and 37 eV, respectively, and to realize selective etching of these two materials by Ar ion sputtering based on tailoring the IEDF to ensure that all incident ions are within this narrow ion energy selectivity window.

physics.plasm-ph↗