SmartProbe

Application Notes

Click on the Application Note Number to see the note in PDF format

Plasma Process Induced Damage

 SmartProbe Application Note 1 (108k)

Plasma charging damage occurs through plasma-wafer interactions. In plasma process reactors, several amps of positive ion and electron current are driven from the plasma through the wafer. These fluxes of charged particles are neutralised and redistributed on the wafer. The SmartProbe measures the bulk plasma parameters, including the bulk and fast electron temperatures kTe and kTf, the electron energy distribution (EEDF), the bulk and fast electron densities Ne, Nf, the ion density Ni, the plasma potential VP and the floating potential Vf. This note outlines the importance of these parameters to plasma-induced device damage.