Analysis of electron thermal properties in Ar/O2 inductively coupled plasmas: A global model simulation using Langmuir probe data

This study investigates the electron thermal properties in Argon and Ar/O2 inductively coupled plasmas using global model based on Langmuir probe data. The sensor-data driven global model (GM) is improved to simulate the power coupling efficiency and an electron energy distribution simultaneously. It reveals that the heating characteristic changes the thermal state and radical generation with input power, pressure and gas mixture ratio. The analysis results of probe data from the global model provide information on the plasma thermal characteristics under efficient operating conditions of process plasma. It provides the advantage of offering insights into the causes of variations in the plasma thermal equilibrium state with operating conditions in ICP, which are limited to obtain from the sensor or the general GM. This makes it highly promising as a simulation method for developing process recipes.