Experimental observation of the skin effect on plasma uniformity in inductively coupled plasmas with a radio frequency bias

Abstract

Electromagnetic effects such as the skin effect, standing wave effect, and edge effect have been mainly studied in large-area, high-frequency gas discharges. In this study, we show that the skin effect can be a major factor of plasma uniformity in a high-density plasma, even if the discharge regime is in a small electrode area and under moderate excitation frequency. When a radio frequency (RF) bias power was applied to an inductively coupled plasma (ICP), the plasma density near the radial edge was largely increased and the plasma uniformity was significantly enhanced in the high-density plasma regime. This change could be understood by considering the enhanced electric field in the radial edge, the so-called skin effect. The time-dependent behavior of the plasma density and electron temperature by the bias power was also studied. When the RF bias power was applied to the ICP, the electron temperature abruptly increased due to electron heating, while variations of plasma density depending on the radial position were observed with the RF bias power in the high-density plasma of the ICP.