Magnetic fields and uniformity of radio frequency power deposition in low-frequency inductively coupled plasmas with crossed internal oscillating currents

Radial and axial distributions of magnetic fields in a low-frequency (similar to460 kHz) inductively coupled plasma source with two internal crossed planar rf current sheets are reported. The internal antenna configuration comprises two orthogonal sets of eight alternately reconnected parallel and equidistant copper litz wires in quartz enclosures and generates three magnetic (H-z, H-r, and H-phi) and two electric (E-phi and E-r) field components at the fundamental frequency. The measurements have been performed in rarefied and dense plasmas generated in the electrostatic (E) and electromagnetic (H) discharge modes using two miniature magnetic probes. It is shown that the radial uniformity and depth of the rf power deposition can be improved as compared with conventional sources of inductively coupled plasmas with external flat spiral ("pancake") antennas. Relatively deeper rf power deposition in the plasma source results in more uniform profiles of the optical emission intensity, which indicates on the improvement of the plasma uniformity over large chamber volumes. The results of the numerical modeling of the radial magnetic field profiles are found in a reasonable agreement with the experimental data. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.