Production and Control of Large-Area Plasmas for Meters-Scale Flat-Panel-Display Processing with Multiple Low-Inductance Antenna Modules

Abstract

Plasma technologies for meters-scale flat-panel-display (FPD) processing have been developed using multiple low-inductance antenna (LIA) modules to drive inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs), in which RF-power-deposition profiles can be controlled in plasma reactors with a scale as large as meters. The LIA module consisted of a U-shaped internal antenna with dielectric isolation, each of which was coupled to an RF power system for independent power control of driving ICP. Our new proposal of the unique source configuration is based on the principle of multiple operation and integrated control of LIA modules, which allow low-voltage high-density plasma production with active control of power deposition profiles. Multiple LIA modules mounted on the wall of a discharge chamber were independently controlled to attain the desired plasma profiles. Experiments with a meter-scale rectangular reactor resulted in stable source operation to attain high densities >1011 cm−3. Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of amorphous hydrogenated carbon films showed an excellent control capability of film-thickness distributions to achieve the film-thickness uniformity of 8.6%, which was defined as the value of (maximum thickness − minimum thickness) divided by the average thickness over the substrate area of 410 mm × 520 mm. The obtained results indicate that the plasma production and/or control technologies with the LIA modules are quite attractive as a high-density low-potential plasma source for a variety of FPD processes.