Characteristics of a hybrid radio frequency capacitively and inductively coupled plasma using hydrogen gas

Abstract

A hybrid combination of a radio frequency (RF) capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) equipped with a ring-shaped hollow powered electrode and an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) with a helical antenna is investigated in hydrogen gas. Characteristics of the RF hybrid plasma are measured by a Langmuir probe at a fixed position in the center between the RF powered and grounded electrode for various CCP powers of 50–150 W. The voltage drop across the CCP is found to be almost independent of the ICP power. The RF hybrid plasma attains a high ion density of the order of 1010 cm−3 between the electrodes even at a low CCP input power of 50 W. The plasma density is strongly affected by the CCP generator power, while the floating potential is controlled by the ICP power, whereas the electron temperature is independent of the ICP power for various CCP powers. The negative ion production is enhanced by increasing the ICP power, resulting in a decrease in the ratio of the negative to the positive charge saturation current detected by the Langmuir probe. The maximum ratio of the negative ion density to the electron density is approximately 8 at a CCP power of 50 W and an ICP power of 250 W.