Simulation of plasma-activated oxygen radical etching based on Penning ionization

Abstract This study establishes a two-dimensional discharge model comprising a hydrodynamic module and an electromagnetic field module to compare the outcomes of helium plasma-activated oxygen radical etching based on Penning ionization with those of inductively coupled oxygen plasma etching. It analyzes the distribution of Penning ionization products and discusses the feasibility of incorporating the Penning ionization mechanism to enhance the radical etching technique. The findings indicate that employing Penning ionization to activate oxygen for the generation of radical O * in etching circumvents substrate interaction with ions produced by direct plasma, hence diminishing ion energy and bombardment while enhancing uniformity and optimizing particle distribution. The findings of this study illustrate the viability of employing Penning ionization to produce radical O * for etching and offer novel concepts and pathways for enhancing the etching process moving forward.