Capacitively coupled plasma source operating in Xe/Ar mixtures

The parameters of a capacitively coupled plasma source operating in Xe/Ar mixtures have been studied using particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo methods. The plasma density, ion energy distributions (IEDs) for different sorts of ions, ion current densities, energy delivered by ions to the electrodes and other parameters of a Xe/Ar plasma are systematically investigated as a function of the Xe/(Ar + Xe) mixing ratio. It is shown that the addition of xenon to an argon discharge increases the plasma density, changes the electron energy distribution and lowers the electron temperature. Both single and dual frequency plasma issues are addressed. The dependence of the IED on the observation position in the sheath is also investigated. Computational results are compared with available experimental data.