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Effects of coil structure and electromagnetic shielding on plasma distribution and uniformity in large-area radio-frequency inductively coupled plasmas |
| Cheng Xin(辛程)1, Xiang-Yun Lyu(吕翔云)1,†, Si-Yu Xing(邢思雨)1, Yu-Ru Zhang(张钰如)1, Tao Liu(刘涛)2, Wei-Ping Le(乐卫平)2, Fei Gao(高飞)3,1,‡, and You-Nian Wang(王友年)1 |
1 Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion, and Electron Beams (Ministry of Education), School of Physics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China;
2 Shenzhen CSL Vacuum Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518101, China;
3 School of Integrated Circuits, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China |
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Abstract Improving plasma uniformity is a critical issue in the development of large-area radio-frequency (RF) inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sources. In this work, the effects of coil structure and electromagnetic shielding on the spatial distribution and uniformity of the plasma are systematically investigated using a three-dimensional fluid model. The model integrates plasma and electromagnetic field modules to simulate the discharge characteristics of a large-area RF ICP source with dimensions of 100 cm ×50 cm. The results reveal that the electron density distribution varies significantly with the coil structure. For the rotating and translating coil structures, the electron density is high at off-axis positions and low at the center. In contrast, the mirror coil structure exhibits a significantly higher electron density at the chamber center, resulting in a high-center and low-edge density distribution. Among the three configurations, the rotating coil structure provides the best plasma uniformity. The incorporation of electromagnetic shielding further improves plasma uniformity, particularly for the mirror coil structure. For the rotating and translating coil structures, the electron density exhibits a saddle-shaped distribution regardless of electromagnetic shielding. However, introducing electromagnetic shielding into the mirror coil structure reduces the electron density at the chamber center and decreases the non-uniformity degree by 18.4 %. Overall, the mirror coil structure with electromagnetic shielding achieves the highest uniformity, with an exceptional plasma uniformity of 94 %. This work offers valuable insights for the design of large-area ICP sources in advanced plasma processing systems.
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Received: 12 September 2025
Revised: 02 November 2025
Accepted manuscript online: 19 November 2025
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PACS:
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52.25.-b
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(Plasma properties)
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52.25.Fi
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(Transport properties)
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52.65.-y
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(Plasma simulation)
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52.80.Pi
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(High-frequency and RF discharges)
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| Fund: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 12075049 and 11935005). |
Corresponding Authors:
Xiang-Yun Lyu, Fei Gao
E-mail: xylv@dlut.edu.cn;fgao@dlut.edu.cn
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Cite this article:
Cheng Xin(辛程), Xiang-Yun Lyu(吕翔云), Si-Yu Xing(邢思雨), Yu-Ru Zhang(张钰如), Tao Liu(刘涛), Wei-Ping Le(乐卫平), Fei Gao(高飞), and You-Nian Wang(王友年) Effects of coil structure and electromagnetic shielding on plasma distribution and uniformity in large-area radio-frequency inductively coupled plasmas 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 025201
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