Ar/SF6 plasma simulation for dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasma incorporating gas flow simulation and secondary electron emission

We developed the coupled calculation of plasma and gas flows in simulations for dual-frequency excited Ar/SF6 plasma. By focusing on the effect of secondary electron emission (SEE), we varied SEE coefficient gamma and determined gamma = 0.04 from the comparison of calculation results with the experimental results. The dependence of electron density on spatial distribution and SF6 gas partial pressure was compared between calculation and experimental results. As a result, at SF6 = 5.0 sccm, the calculated electron densities at the center and edge were almost the same as the experimental results. Furthermore, at SF6 = 2.5 sccm, the error from the experiment including the spatial distribution was in the range of -11.03 to 4.11%, and the results of coupled calculation of plasma and gas flows in simulations can reproduce the experimental results under at a SF6 partial pressure in the range from 2.5 to 5.0 sccm.

Automated summary

We developed a coupled calculation method for plasma and gas flows, and used it to simulate dual-frequency excited Ar/SF6 plasma. By comparing the calculation results with experimental results, we determined the secondary electron emission (SEE) coefficient gamma to be 0.04, and compared the dependence of electron density on spatial distribution and SF6 gas partial pressure between the two. The results showed that the calculated electron densities were in good agreement with the experimental results within a certain range of SF6 partial pressure.