Publication details
Monte Carlo and Particle in Cell Simulation of Mirror Effect in PECVD reactor
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2004 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | WDS'04 Proceedings of Contributed Papers, Part II |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Plasma physics |
| Keywords | Computer simulation; PECVD; Mirror effect |
| Description | We have studied thin film plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition from methane and thin film sputtering in argon in low pressure rf discharge. We have observed that thickness of a thin film deposited on the upper (grounded) electrode has mirrored substrates placed on the bottom rf powered electrode. This mirror images have not been quite sharp. The same effect was observed when the initially homogeneous film (deposited on the upper electrode) was sputtered in the argon plasma. Again the image of object on the bottom electrode was sputtered in the film on the upper electrode. The mirror effect has been studied via Particle In Cell - Monte Carlo (PIC-MC) computer simulation. In our explanation the mirror effect is caused by the difference between secondary electron emission coefficient of substrate material and material of substrate holder. This difference in the secondary electron emission coefficient affects plasma density upon the substrates and this leads to higher or lower deposition rate on the upper electrode. In our simulation we have calculated distribution of impact position for electrons on grounded electrode which have flew from the powered electrode. We have calculated this distribution for ions created in ionization collisions (of secondary electrons with neutrals) too. We have carried out simulation of this distribution for different pressures. |