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Author (up) Zhang, Y.-R.; Xu, X.; Bogaerts, A.; Wang, Y.-N.
Title Fluid simulation of the phase-shift effect in hydrogen capacitively coupled plasmas: 2 : radial uniformity of the plasma characteristics Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Journal of physics: D: applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Phys D Appl Phys
Volume 45 Issue 1 Pages 015203-015203,13
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract A two-dimensional fluid model, including the full set of Maxwell equations, has been developed and applied to investigate the effect of a phase shift between two power sources on the radial uniformity of several plasma characteristics in a hydrogen capacitively coupled plasma. This study was carried out at various frequencies in the range 13.56200 MHz. When the frequency is low, at 13.56 MHz, the plasma density is characterized by an off-axis peak when both power sources are in-phase (phgr = 0), and the best radial uniformity is obtained at phgr = π. This trend can be explained because the radial nonuniformity caused by the electrostatic edge effect can be effectively suppressed by the phase-shift effect at a phase difference equal to π. When the frequency rises to 60 MHz, the plasma density profiles shift smoothly from edge-peaked over uniform to centre-peaked as the phase difference increases, due to the pronounced standing-wave effect, and the best radial uniformity is reached at phgr = 0.3π. At a frequency of 100 MHz, a similar behaviour is observed, except that the maximum of the plasma density moves again towards the radial edge at the reverse-phase case (phgr = π), because of the dominant skin effect. When the frequency is 200 MHz, the bulk plasma density increases significantly with increasing phase-shift values, and a better uniformity is obtained at phgr = 0.4π. This is because the density in the centre increases faster than at the radial edge as the phase difference rises, due to the increasing power deposition Pz in the centre and the decreasing power density Pr at the radial edge. As the phase difference increases to π, the maximum near the radial edge becomes obvious again. This is because the skin effect has a predominant influence on the plasma density under this condition, resulting in a high density at the radial edge. Moreover, the axial ion flux increases monotonically with phase difference, and exhibits similar profiles to the plasma density. The calculation results illustrate that the radial uniformity of the various plasma characteristics is strongly dependent on the applied frequency and the phase shift between both power sources, which is important to realize, for controlling the uniformity of the plasma etch and deposition processes.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication London Editor
Language Wos 000298290000012 Publication Date 2011-12-12
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0022-3727;1361-6463; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.588 Times cited 15 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.588; 2012 IF: 2.528
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:92852 Serial 1231
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Author (up) Zhang, Y.-R.; Xu, X.; Zhao, S.-X.; Bogaerts, A.; Wang, Y.-N.
Title Comparison of electrostatic and electromagnetic simulations for very high frequency plasmas Type A1 Journal article
Year 2010 Publication Physics of plasmas Abbreviated Journal Phys Plasmas
Volume 17 Issue 11 Pages 113512-113512,11
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract A two-dimensional self-consistent fluid model combined with the full set of Maxwell equations is developed to investigate an argon capacitively coupled plasma, focusing on the electromagnetic effects on the discharge characteristics at various discharge conditions. The results indicate that there exist distinct differences in plasma characteristics calculated with the so-called electrostatic model (i.e., without taking into account the electromagnetic effects) and the electromagnetic model (which includes the electromagnetic effects), especially at very high frequencies. Indeed, when the excitation source is in the high frequency regime and the electromagnetic effects are taken into account, the plasma density increases significantly and meanwhile the ionization rate evolves to a very different distribution when the electromagnetic effects are dominant. Furthermore, the dependence of the plasma characteristics on the voltage and pressure is also investigated, at constant frequency. It is observed that when the voltage is low, the difference between these two models becomes more obvious than at higher voltages. As the pressure increases, the plasma density profiles obtained from the electromagnetic model smoothly shift from edge-peaked over uniform to a broad maximum in the center. In addition, the edge effect becomes less pronounced with increasing frequency and pressure, and the skin effect rather than the standing-wave effect becomes dominant when the voltage is high.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Woodbury, N.Y. Editor
Language Wos 000285486500105 Publication Date 2010-11-22
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1070-664X; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.115 Times cited 30 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.115; 2010 IF: 2.320
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:84763 Serial 429
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Author (up) Zhao, S.-X.; Gao, F.; Wang, Y.-N.; Bogaerts, A.
Title The effect of F2 attachment by low-energy electrons on the electron behaviour in an Ar/CF4 inductively coupled plasma Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Plasma sources science and technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T
Volume 21 Issue 2 Pages 025008-025008,13
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The electron behaviour in an Ar/CF4 inductively coupled plasma is investigated by a Langmuir probe and a hybrid model. The simulated and measured results include electron density, temperature and electron energy distribution function for different values of Ar/CF4 ratio, coil power and gas pressure. The hybrid plasma equipment model simulations show qualitative agreement with experiment. The effect of F2 electron attachment on the electron behaviour is explored by comparing two sets of data based on different F atom boundary conditions. It is demonstrated that electron attachment at F2 molecules is responsible for the depletion of low-energy electrons, causing a density decrease as well as a temperature increase when CF4 is added to an Ar plasma.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Institute of Physics Place of Publication Bristol Editor
Language Wos 000302779400022 Publication Date 2012-03-12
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0963-0252;1361-6595; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 3.302 Times cited 23 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 3.302; 2012 IF: 2.515
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:96549 Serial 841
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Author (up) Zhao, S.-X.; Gao, F.; Wang, Y.-N.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Gas ratio effects on the Si etch rate and profile uniformity in an inductively coupled Ar/CF4 plasma Type A1 Journal article
Year 2013 Publication Plasma sources science and technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T
Volume 22 Issue 1 Pages 015017-15018
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this work, a hybrid model is used to investigate the effect of different gas ratios on the Si etching and polymer film deposition characteristics in an Ar/CF4 inductively coupled plasma. The influence of the surface processes on the bulk plasma properties is studied, and also the spatial characteristics of important gas phase and etched species. The densities of F and CF2 decrease when the surface module is included in the simulations, due to the species consumption caused by etching and polymer deposition. The influence of the surface processes on the bulk plasma depends on the Ar/CF4 gas ratio. The deposited polymer becomes thicker at high CF4 content because of more abundant CFx radicals. As a result of the competition between the polymer thickness and the F flux, the etch rate first increases and then decreases upon increasing the CF4 content. The electron properties, more specifically the electron density profile, affect the Si etch characteristics substantially by determining the radical density and flux profiles. In fact, the radial profile of the etch rate is more uniform at low CF4 content since the electron density has a smooth distribution. At high CF4 content, the etch rate is less uniform with a minimum halfway along the wafer radius, because the electron density distribution is more localized. Therefore, our calculations predict that it is better to work at relatively high Ar/CF4 gas ratios, in order to obtain high etch rate and good profile uniformity for etch applications. This, in fact, corresponds to the typical experimental etch conditions in Ar/CF4 gas mixtures as found in the literature, where Ar is typically present at a much higher concentration than CF4.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Institute of Physics Place of Publication Bristol Editor
Language Wos 000314966300022 Publication Date 2012-12-20
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0963-0252;1361-6595; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 3.302 Times cited 11 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 3.302; 2013 IF: 3.056
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:102583 Serial 1320
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Author (up) Zhao, S.-X.; Gao, F.; Wang, Y.-P.; Wang, Y.-N.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Effects of feedstock availability on the negative ion behavior in a C4F8 inductively coupled plasma Type A1 Journal article
Year 2015 Publication Journal of applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Appl Phys
Volume 118 Issue 118 Pages 033301
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this paper, the negative ion behavior in a C4F8 inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is investigated using a hybrid model. The model predicts a non-monotonic variation of the total negative ion density with power at low pressure (1030 mTorr), and this trend agrees well with experiments that were carried out in many fluorocarbon (fc) ICP sources, like C2F6, CHF3, and C4F8. This behavior is explained by the availability of feedstock C4F8 gas as a source of the negative ions, as well as by the presence of low energy electrons due to vibrational excitation at low power. The maximum of the negative ion density shifts to low power values upon decreasing pressure, because of the more pronounced depletion of C4F8 molecules, and at high pressure (∼50 mTorr), the anion density continuously increases with power, which is similar to fc CCP sources. Furthermore, the negative ion composition is identified in this paper. Our work demonstrates that for a clear understanding of the negative ion behavior in radio frequency C4F8 plasma sources, one needs to take into account many factors, like the attachment characteristics, the anion composition, the spatial profiles, and the reactor configuration. Finally, a detailed comparison of our simulation results with experiments is conducted.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher American Institute of Physics Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor
Language Wos 000358429200004 Publication Date 2015-07-20
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0021-8979;1089-7550; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.068 Times cited 1 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.068; 2015 IF: 2.183
Call Number c:irua:126735 Serial 861
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Author (up) Zhao, S.-X.; Zhang, Y.-R.; Gao, F.; Wang, Y.-N.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Bulk plasma fragmentation in a C4F8 inductively coupled plasma : a hybrid modelling study Type A1 Journal article
Year 2015 Publication Journal of applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Appl Phys
Volume 117 Issue 117 Pages 243303
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract A hybrid model is used to investigate the fragmentation of C4F8 inductive discharges. Indeed, the resulting reactive species are crucial for the optimization of the Si-based etching process, since they determine the mechanisms of fluorination, polymerization, and sputtering. In this paper, we present the dissociation degree, the density ratio of F vs. CxFy (i.e., fluorocarbon (fc) neutrals), the neutral vs. positive ion density ratio, details on the neutral and ion components, and fractions of various fc neutrals (or ions) in the total fc neutral (or ion) density in a C4F8 inductively coupled plasma source, as well as the effect of pressure and power on these results. To analyze the fragmentation behavior, the electron density and temperature and electron energy probability function (EEPF) are investigated. Moreover, the main electron-impact generation sources for all considered neutrals and ions are determined from the complicated C4F8 reaction set used in the model. The C4F8 plasma fragmentation is explained, taking into account many factors, such as the EEPF characteristics, the dominance of primary and secondary processes, and the thresholds of dissociation and ionization. The simulation results are compared with experiments from literature, and reasonable agreement is obtained. Some discrepancies are observed, which can probably be attributed to the simplified polymer surface kinetics assumed in the model.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher American Institute of Physics Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor
Language Wos 000357613900009 Publication Date 2015-06-30
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0021-8979;1089-7550; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.068 Times cited 11 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.068; 2015 IF: 2.183
Call Number c:irua:126477 Serial 261
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Author (up) Zou, Y.-C.; Mogg, L.; Clark, N.; Bacaksiz, C.; Milanovic, S.; Sreepal, V.; Hao, G.-P.; Wang, Y.-C.; Hopkinson, D.G.; Gorbachev, R.; Shaw, S.; Novoselov, K.S.; Raveendran-Nair, R.; Peeters, F.M.; Lozada-Hidalgo, M.; Haigh, S.J.
Title Ion exchange in atomically thin clays and micas Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Nature Materials Abbreviated Journal Nat Mater
Volume 20 Issue 12 Pages 1677-1682
Keywords A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Abstract The physical properties of clays and micas can be controlled by exchanging ions in the crystal lattice. Atomically thin materials can have superior properties in a range of membrane applications, yet the ion-exchange process itself remains largely unexplored in few-layer crystals. Here we use atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy to study the dynamics of ion exchange and reveal individual ion binding sites in atomically thin and artificially restacked clays and micas. We find that the ion diffusion coefficient for the interlayer space of atomically thin samples is up to 10(4) times larger than in bulk crystals and approaches its value in free water. Samples where no bulk exchange is expected display fast exchange at restacked interfaces, where the exchanged ions arrange in islands with dimensions controlled by the moire superlattice dimensions. We attribute the fast ion diffusion to enhanced interlayer expandability resulting from weaker interlayer binding forces in both atomically thin and restacked materials. This work provides atomic scale insights into ion diffusion in highly confined spaces and suggests strategies to design exfoliated clay membranes with enhanced performance. Layered clays are of interest for membranes and many other applications but their ion-exchange dynamics remain unexplored in atomically thin materials. Here, using electron microscopy, it is found that the ion diffusion for few-layer two-dimensional clays approaches that of free water and that superlattice cation islands can form in twisted and restacked materials.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000689664000001 Publication Date 2021-09-21
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1476-1122; 1476-4660 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 39.737 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 39.737
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:181691 Serial 6999
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