Logo image
Mitigating dust particle contamination in an afterglow plasma by controlled lifting with a DC electric field
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Mitigating dust particle contamination in an afterglow plasma by controlled lifting with a DC electric field

Neeraj Chaubey and J. Goree
Journal of physics. D, Applied physics, Vol.57(10), 105201
12/08/2023
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/ad1148
url
https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ad1148View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Particle contamination due to plasma processing motivates the design of a method of electrically lifting particles in a time interval after a plasma’s power is turned off. Small solid dust particles have electric charges that are not frozen until a late stage of the plasma afterglow. Beyond that time, before they fall to a surface below and cause defects, particles can be lifted in a controlled manner by applying an appropriate direct-current (DC) electric field, as we demonstrate experimentally. A few milliseconds after an argon plasma’s capacitively coupled radio-frequency power is switched off, a vertical DC electric field is applied. Thereafter, video imaging shows that the falling of the particles is slowed or stopped altogether, depending on the magnitude of the upward electric force.
UIOWA OA Agreement

Details

Metrics

Logo image