Hj. Lee et al., THE EFFECTS OF MAGNETIC-FIELDS ON A PLANAR INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED ARGON PLASMA, Plasma sources science & technology, 5(3), 1996, pp. 383-388
The profiles of the magnetic field component of the RF field, the impe
dance characteristics and the plasma parameters (electron density, ele
ctron temperature and plasma potential) of a 13.56 MHz, planar inducti
vely coupled argon plasma were studied in the presence of an external
magnetic field and compared with those of the non-magnetized discharge
. An efficient RF power transfer and stable impedance matching with a
low Q factor (omega L/R) of the system could be obtained with the appl
ication of a relatively low magnetic field (5-20 G) in the pressure ra
nge 0.5-10 mTorr. The RF magnetic field measurement revealed that the
wave excitation was responsible for such improvements. Due to the effe
ctive power coupling and improved confinement by the magnetic field, t
he electron density increased by a factor of two and the plasma potent
ial decreased.