Many flaked particles caused by impulsive force of electric field stress and effect of electrostriction stress in mass-production plasma etching equipment

Abstract

To investigate the mechanism of instantaneous generation of many flaked particles in plasma etching chambers, we study the relationship between particle generation from deposited films and electric field stress acting on the films under mass-production conditions. The particles are formed by stress working as an impulsive force due to rapid changes in floating potential on the chamber walls. The results indicate that Maxwell’s stress and electrostriction stress both affect particle generation in terms of the impulsive force of electric field stress. Although Maxwell’s stress mainly influences the outbreak of particles, the electrostriction stress also acts with considerable intensity.