A multifunctional plasma and deposition sensor for the characterization of plasma sources for film deposition and etching

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Abstract
Our recently reported multifunctional plasma and deposition sensor [Welzel et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 211605 (2013)] was used for the characterization of two different plasma sources: a magnetron sputtering deposition source and an ion beam source. The multifunctional sensor, based on a conventional quartz crystal monitor (microbalance) for mass increase/decrease measurements, can measure quasi-simultaneously the deposition/etching flux, the energy flux, and the charged particle flux. By moving the sensor or the plasma source stepwise against each other, the lateral (radial) flux profiles of the different sources can be measured with a lateral resolution of about 8 mm, the diameter of aperture in front of the quartz crystal. It is demonstrated that this compact and simple multifunctional sensor is a versatile tool for the characterization of different kinds of plasma sources for deposition and etching purposes. By combining the different measured quantities, the ion-to-neutral ratio and the mean energy per deposited atom can be calculated, parameters that are essential for the characterization of plasma deposition and etch processes.

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