Mass spectrometric investigation of the positive ions formed in low-pressure oxygen/tetraethoxysilane and argon/tetraethoxysilane plasmas

Citation
K. Aumaille et al., Mass spectrometric investigation of the positive ions formed in low-pressure oxygen/tetraethoxysilane and argon/tetraethoxysilane plasmas, J APPL PHYS, 89(9), 2001, pp. 5227-5229
Citations number
13
Categorie Soggetti
Apllied Physucs/Condensed Matter/Materiales Science
Journal title
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
ISSN journal
00218979 → ACNP
Volume
89
Issue
9
Year of publication
2001
Pages
5227 - 5229
Database
ISI
SICI code
0021-8979(20010501)89:9<5227:MSIOTP>2.0.ZU;2-Q
Abstract
In this article, we report results on mass spectrometric investigation of t he positive ions created in a low-pressure radio frequency helicon plasma r eactor using oxygen/tetraethoxysilane (O-2/TEOS) and argon/tetraethoxysilan e (Ar/TEOS) mixtures. It is shown that the variety of ions is much greater in the Ar/TEOS plasma than in the O-2/TEOS plasma. In the case of the Ar/TE OS plasma, ions are observed up to 343 amu whereas in the case of the O-2/T EOS plasma, ions are observed up to 211 amu. Ion/molecule reaction rates be tween TEOS parent positive ions and neutral TEOS molecules are considerably less important in the O-2/TEOS plasma as compared with the Ar/TEOS plasma. Using the values of the TEOS dissociation degree measured for O-2/TEOS and Ar/TEOS plasmas, the observed ion/molecule reactions might be explained by the higher concentration of TEOS molecules in the Ar/TEOS plasma.