Plasma-surface interactions during plasma etching are important in that, in
addition to determining the rate and quality of the etch, they can also in
fluence the properties of the bulk plasma. To address this coupling of bulk
and surface processes the surface kinetics model (SKM) was developed as a
module in the two-dimensional hybrid plasma equipment model (HPEM) with the
goal of combining plasma chemistry and surface chemistry in a self-consist
ent fashion. The SKM obtains reactive fluxes to the surface from the HPEM,
and generates the surface species coverages and the returning fluxes to the
plasma by implementing a user defined surface reaction mechanism. Although
the SKM is basically a surface-site-balance model, extensions to those alg
orithms have been made to include an overlying passivation layer through wh
ich reactants and products diffuse. Etching of Si in an inductively coupled
plasma sustained in Ar/C2F6 was investigated using the SKM. Results from p
arametric studies are used to demonstrate the sensitivity of etching rates
and polymer thickness to the sticking coefficient of fluorocarbon radicals
on the reactor walls, polymer erosion rates and F atom diffusion through th
e polymer layer. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)019
03-4].