Mass transfer analyses of the plasma deposition process

A mathematical description of mass transfer in the glow discharge plasma deposition process ( e.g. in the preparation of amorphous silicon from silane) is presented. In particular, the analysis concerns itself with elements important in the fabrication of practical devices. The relationships between the deposition characteristics ( i.e. thickness uniformity, deposition rate and gas efficiency) and the process parameters (gas flow rate and electrical power) are examined by numerical modeling techniques. Two types of reactor structure, axial flow and radial flow, are considered.