INTRODUCTION

This is the first difficulty that engineer encounters when entering plasma simulation field using commercial software.

First, we would like you to give a closer look at the front page of this web site. It shows results of 3D ICP HDP

CVD plasma reactor simulation and of Dual Frequency CCP reactor with the Showerhead injector. Print them

out and download our Introduction presentation.  Visit Applications link and note a variety of useful CFD-PLASMA

applications for semiconductor industry. Visit Tutorials pdf presentations (tutorial 1), (tutorial 2), (tutorial 3) and have a look

at the results sections. They contain comments explaining how to interpret plasma results.

Here I would like to add some general comments:

Plasma system is not much different from typical CVD chemical reacting system if you "assume" that electrons

are just another additional SPECIES [e]. Their concentration is controlled by the electromagnetic equations,

coil and reactor geometry.

Other species can be typically divided on 3 classes:

a) process gases [PG]

b)precursors [Pr] (they are generated when process gases react with electron species, PG+ [e]= Pr + .....

c) ions (positive or negative or both)

Process reactions on the surface (etch or deposition) are the results of 2 actions:

a) precursors (or sometimes process gases-like Cl2) reacting with surface film and producing

    etch or deposition

b) ions accelerating towards the surface and gaining energy from electrostatic bias fields.

    Ions physically sputter surface atoms away.

Usually for both etch and deposition neutral (Pr) surface reactions are detrimental for process

uniformity and rates. Engineer wants to monitor both ion flux radial distribution (current) near the surface

and neutral [Pr] flux distribution near the surface.

Precursors distributions can vary as a function of neutral transport and location of max electron density.

This variation will alter on-wafer results. For example uniformity is a strong function of a type of injector,

exhaust and their location in the chamber.