Measurement and reduction of Ar metastable densities by nitrogen admixing in electron beam-generated plasmas

Electron beam (e-beam) generated plasmas are useful for material processing applications such as deposition and etching because the plasmas deliver a large fluence of very low energy of ions to surfaces. Metastable species produced in the beam-region can also transport significant energy to the plasma periphery and surfaces. In this work, we have investigated the spatially resolved density of metastable Ar 1s5 species produced in an Ar and Ar/N2 e-beam generated plasma at pressures of 60-67 mTorr using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). The experiments provide the first direct measure of absolute density and reduction of Ar 1s5 in an e-beam generated plasma when argon is diluted with nitrogen. These results are consistent with previous predictions of numerical modeling and measurements using optical emission spectroscopy. The present spatially resolved LIF measurements directly quantify the reduction of Ar 1s5 in the e-beam generated plasma by nitrogen admixing. This reduction was observed in the region of the electron beam and in the plasma periphery, where substrates are usually placed. For example, up to a threefold reduction of the density of Ar 1s5 was measured when the argon background was diluted with 15.5% nitrogen at pressure of 60 mTorr. Ar 1s5 reduction is attributed to excitation exchange with nitrogen molecules as well as the cooling of plasma electrons via inelastic collisions with nitrogen molecules.

Automated summary

Electron beam generated plasmas are commonly used in material processing applications. In this study, the density of metastable Ar 1s5 species in an Ar and Ar/N2 plasma was investigated using LIF. The results showed a significant reduction in Ar 1s5 density when argon was diluted with nitrogen.