Effect of magnetic field profile on the uniformity of a distributed electron cyclotron resonance plasma

This study extensively measured the uniformity of an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma versus the magnetic field distribution. The influence of magnetic field distribution on the generation of uniform ECR plasma was examined. It is suggested that in addition to the uniformity of the magnetic field distribution at ECR zone and at the downstream zone near the substrate, the transition of the magnetic field between these two zones is also crucial. A uniform ECR plasma with the electron density uniformity of ±7.7% over 500 × 500 mm2 was measured at the downstream. The idea of generating uniform ECR plasma can be scaled up to a much larger area by using an n × n microwave input array and a well-designed magnetic system.