High-Efficiency Inductively Coupled Plasma Source With Dual Antenna Hybrid Scheme

An innovative, hybrid, inductively coupled, dual-antenna 13.56-MHz radio frequency source of dense low-temperature plasma was developed and experimentally investigated. The electrical and plasma properties of the conventional single-coil inductively coupled plasma source and the upgraded dual-antenna configuration were comparatively studied. As compared to the conventional setup, the dual antenna hybrid scheme maintains the low-temperature plasma with significantly higher electron densities reaching to $1.85\times 10^{12}$ cm −3 at a low electron temperature of 1.7 eV over a large area, and much faster transits to a steady-state plasma. It was also found that the dual-coil system heats electrons more effectively and produces a synergistic effect on the enhancement of power transfer efficiency to the discharge. Significant advantages warrant the efficient employment of this system in many techniques requiring cost effective, convenient, and efficient systems for low electron temperature high-density plasma-based applications.