ECR microwave plasma sources

Main principle

Usually, uniform plasma are processed over large dimensions, and most often require strong ionic assistance. They are essential for industrial scale surface treatments which require ever higher etching or deposition rates, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or deep etching.

These requirements have stimulated the development of uniform plasma sources, of high density, which, moreover, are capable of delivering high concentrations of reactive species.

Miniaturization thanks to solid-state technology

The standard technology uses a power distribution system (magnetron, waveguides, tuner, short-circuit) to supply microwave power to all the sources from a single microwave generator. However, the microwave power has to be equally distributed between the sources and the use of a matching impedance device is mandatory.

To overcome this problem, we have developed a new ECR coaxial microwave plasma source, the Aura-Wave. The innovative design of the source prevents power loss within the source and allows to be quite self-matched over wide operating conditions without need of any impedance matching system.

Aura-Wave ECR plasma source

Aura-Wave is an electronic cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave coaxial plasma source which can sustain stable plasmas from 10 ^-4 to 10 ^-2 mbar (0.1 Pa to 10 Pa). Permanent cylindrical magnets are encapsulated and mounted in opposition inside the coaxial structure, allowing the generation of a magnetic field towards the plasma chamber in order to limit losses to the walls.

The source makes it possible to reach plasma densities of 10 ¹¹ cm ^-3 in multi-source configuration with a 10 cm working distance, for most gases.

Find our latest reaserch on our Aura-Wave ECR microwave plasma sources here !