The Gaseous Electronic Conference (GEC) reference cell as a benchmark for understanding microelectronics processing plasmas

A collaborative experimental effort was initiated at a workshop at the 1988 Gaseous Electronics Conference (GEC) to start a program to understand the fundamental physics of processing plasmas, as well as give researchers a ba seline experiment to develop plasma diagnostics to be used on manufacturing plasma systems. The design was based on the use of 4 in. diameter, aluminu m electrodes in a parallel plate configuration at 13.56 MHz, run in a capac itively coupled discharge mode. Before conclusions about commercial plasma systems can be made from experimental results from the GEC cell, the GEC ce ll must be shown to behave similarly to that of a commercial system. The et ching performance of a GEC cell was compared to a SEMI Group 1000 TP/CC rea ctive ion etcher (RIE). The GEC cell and the RIE gave similar etch rates an d fluorine concentrations when the electrode plate spacing and power densit y were the same. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-664X(99)959 05-0].