Abstract: In this paper, an overview is given of modeling investigations carried out in our research group for a better understanding of plasmas used for medical, environmental and nano applications. The focus is both on modeling the plasma chemistry and the plasma-surface interactions. The plasma chemistry provides the densities and fluxes of the important plasma species. This information can be used as input when modeling the plasma-surface interactions. The combination of plasma simulations and plasma – surface interaction simulations provides a more comprehensive understanding of the underlying processes for these applications.

Abstract: The behavior of nanoparticles in a low-pressure silane discharge is studied with the use of a self-consistent one-dimensional fluid model. Nanoparticles of a given (prescribed) radius are formed in the discharge by the incorporation of a dust growth mechanism, i.e., by including a step in which large anions (typically Si12H−25), produced in successive chemical reactions of anions with silane molecules, are transformed into particles. Typically a few thousand anions are used for one nanoparticle. The resulting particle density and the charge on the particles are calculated with an iterative method. While the spatial distribution and the charge of the particles are influenced by the plasma, the presence of the nanoparticles will in turn influence the plasma properties. Several simulations with different particle radii are performed. The resulting density profile of the dust will greatly depend on the particle size, as it reacts to the shift of the balance of the different forces acting on the particles.

Abstract: In this paper, an overview is given of modeling activities going on in our research group, for describing the plasma chemistry and plasmasurface interactions in reactive plasmas. The plasma chemistry is calculated by a fluid approach or by hybrid Monte Carlo (MC)fluid modeling. An example of both is illustrated in the first part of the paper. The example of fluid modeling is given for a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in CH4/O2, to describe the partial oxidation of CH4 into value-added chemicals. The example of hybrid MCfluid modeling concerns an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etch reactor in Ar/Cl2/O2, including also the description of the etch process. The second part of the paper deals with the treatment of plasmasurface interactions on the atomic level, with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations or a combination of MD and MC simulations.

Abstract: Modeling results are presented to gain a better insight in the properties of a SiH4/O2/Ar inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and how it interacts with a silicon substrate (wafer), as applied in the microelectronics industry for the fabrication of electronic devices. The SiH4/O2/Ar ICP is used for the filling of microtrenches with isolating material (SiO2), as applied in shallow trench isolation (STI). In this article, a detailed reaction set that describes the plasma chemistry of SiH4/O2/Ar discharges as well as surface processes, such as sputtering, oxidation, and deposition, is presented. Results are presented on the plasma properties during the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process (PECVD) for different gas ratios, as well as on the shape of the filled trenches and the surface compositions of the deposited layers. For the operating conditions under study it is found that the most important species accounting for deposition are SiH2, SiH3O, SiH3 and SiH2O, while SiH+2, SiH+3, O+2 and Ar+ are the dominant species for sputtering of the surface. By diluting the precursor gas (SiH4) in the mixture, the deposition rate versus sputtering rate can be controlled for a desired trench filling process. From the calculation results it is clear that a high deposition rate will result in undesired void formation during the trench filling, while a small deposition rate will result in undesired trench bottom and mask damage by sputtering. By varying the SiH4/O2 ratio, the chemical composition of the deposited layer will be influenced. However, even at the highest SiH4/O2 ratio investigated (i.e., 3.2:1; low oxygen content), the bulk deposited layer consists mainly of SiO2, suggesting that low-volatile silane species deposit first and subsequently become oxidized instead of being oxidized first in the plasma before deposition. Finally, it was found that the top surface of the deposited layer contained less oxygen due to preferential sputtering of O atoms, making the top layer more Si-rich. However, this effect is negligible at a SiH4/O2 ratio of 2:1 or lower.

Abstract: A theoretical study of ultrashort laser-induced electron emission from a negatively biased metallic cathode has been performed. Classical as well as tunneling electron emission mechanisms are considered. It was found that electron emission is governed by an interplay of processes inside as well as above the cathode. A hybrid model is proposed, where the electron distribution within the target is retrieved from Boltzmann scattering integrals, while the charge distribution above it is studied by a Particle-In-Cell simulation. The results indicate that non-equilibrium effects determine the initial emission process, whereas the space charge above the target suppresses the effectively emitted charge.