2-DIMENSIONAL FLUID MODEL OF HIGH-DENSITY INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA SOURCES

A two-dimensional (r,z) fluid model has been developed to study plasma transport in inductively coupled plasmas (ICP). Electron heating is t reated by assuming a fixed, spatially varying power deposition profile in the electron energy balance equation. A high aspect ratio ICP reac tor geometry has been studied, with two assumed power profiles: spatia lly uniform and localized to within several skin depths of the radial wall. The effect of neutral gas pressure on plasma uniformity is prese nted for an argon discharge over the range of 1-20 mTorr. Comparisons between the fluid model and predictions from a spatially averaged glob al model show similar scaling of plasma density, electron temperature, and plasma potential over a wide range of pressure and power.